"Duncan Keith never dreamed of becoming a candidate for the Norris Trophy when he signed with the Blackhawks, and it wasn't even foremost on his mind Friday, when he was named one of three finalists for the award honoring the top defenseman in the NHL. Not in the middle of a grind-it-out Stanley Cup playoff series still hanging in the balance.

''That's the beauty of it all, that the team has been playing well and we're in a good battle for the playoffs,'' Keith said. ''That's really what it's all about. It's about your teammates, your team, how the team's doing, and you get a lot of these awards when the team is good.''

Keith joined Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and 20-year-old Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings as Norris Trophy finalists. The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes on the award, with the winner announced June 23 during the NHL Awards show in Las Vegas.

Though Green was runner-up to the Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara last year, the 26-year-old Keith is considered the favorite by many NHL observers. He would be the Blackhawks' fourth player to win the award and the first since Chris Chelios won his second with the team and third overall in 1996. Hall of Famer Pierre Pilote (1963, 1964, 1965) and Doug Wilson (1982) also won the award with the Hawks."