2 Chicago Blackhawks legends being left off the NHL Quarter-Century Team is abysmal

The NHL recently revealed its Quarter-Century Team on Sunday, a fan-voted roster honoring the league's greatest players from the past 25 years. The list featured names like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Auston Matthews.

But it left out Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, who are two of the greatest Blackhawks of all-time.

Toews and Keith aren't just Blackhawks legends. They're three-time Stanley Cup Champions, Conn Smythe Trophy winners, Olympic gold medalists, and essential pillars of one of the NHL's modern dynasties.

Yet somehow, they didn't make the cut.

Fan voting for the Quarter-Century Team ran from February 12 to April 1. The pool of eligible players included those named to the league's first teams of each quarter-century era: pre-2000, 2000-10, and post-2010.

Toews, drafted third overall in 2006, became Chicago's captain at just 20 years old. He led the franchise to three Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010 for playoff MVP. He also won the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2013, the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2015, and two Olympic gold medals with Team Canada in 2010 and 2014. In 15 seasons, he posted 883 points (372 goals, 511 assists) in 1,067 regular-season games with the Blackhawks.

Keith, a 2002 draft pick, played 16 seasons in Chicago, anchoring the Hawks' blue line with shutdown defensive play, and logging in heavy minutes of ice time. He won the Stanley Cup three times in 2010, 2013, and 2015 along with two Norris Trophies (2010, 2014) and the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015. He recorded 646 points (106 goals, 540 assists) in 1,256 games with the Blackhawks and Oilers.

Former Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane did earn a spot on the Quarter-Century Team.

Kane played 16 seasons with the Blackhawks before being traded to the New York Rangers on Feb. 28, 2023. He finished his Blackhawks tenure with 1,225 points (446 goals, 779 assists) in 1,161 games. Kane also won the Stanley Cup three times with the Hawks (2010, 2013, and 2015), along with the Calder Trophy in 2008, the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2013, and the Art Ross, Ted Lindsay, and Hart Memorial trophies in 2016.

However, the fact that Toews and Keith are left off the Quarter-Century Team is disrespectful and something Blackhawks fans won't ignore.

On the bright side, both players will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the near future. Their contributions to the Blackhawks and the league are second to none.

Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith aren't just great players. They are Blackhawks legends, and leaving them off the NHL's Quarter Century Team is nothing short of abysmal.