Duncan and Kelly-Rae Keith first met when they were teenagers before ending their relationship last year. (Getty)
Duncan Keith had a picture-perfect NHL season.
The Chicago Blackhawks standout was nothing short of dominant on the ice, leading his team to a Stanley Cup championship in June. He also won the Conn Smythe Trophy after a nearly astronomical number of minutes played. The last few weeks, however, have been less than perfect for Keith and his family.
Keith and his wife, Kelly-Rae, who started dating when they were teenagers, have been in the midst of divorce proceedings for nearly a year and things are starting to get dramatic.
Here’s what you need to know about the couple and their current court battle:
1. Kelly-Rae Lost an Interim Bid in British Columbia Supreme Court for $150,000 in Monthly Spousal Support
A judge ruled this week that Kelly-Rae Keith’s request for monthly support was far too high. (YouTube Screenshot)
According to the Vancouver Sun, Kelly-Rae Keith lost her bid to receive $150,000 in monthly spousal support on Thursday.
Kelly-Rae had sought the sum in addition to $69,270 in monthly child support, claiming she had suffered “economic hardship and disadvantages” stemming from her split with NHL player Duncan Keith.
Duncan claimed, in British Columbia Supreme Court, that since the relationship ended he had been paying Kelly-Rae $10,000 per month as well as another $10,000 monthly for the mortgage and other expenses with the couple’s home.
Justice George MacIntosh, however, ruled that Kelly-Rae’s claim for money was “disproportionately high, at least in this interim stage,” and ordered Duncan to pay $15,000 per month for the care of their son.
2. The Couple Reportedly Separated in 2014
Kelly-Rae and Duncan Keith grew up together and had dated since they were teenagers. (Tumblr)
The couple, both 32, first met while growing up in British Columbia, Canada and had been together since they were teenagers. Kelly-Rae, who played college basketball at McGill, joined Duncan in Chicago in 2009 when he started playing for the Blackhawks.
However, things took a downward relationship turn in 2014 when the couple opted to separate. News of the impending divorce didn’t hit headlines until after the end of the Blackahwks’ 2015 Stanley Cup championship run when Keith opened up about his personal struggles with the Chicago Tribune:
I am going through a divorce. I’ve been separated for over a year now. I think right now my time needs to be spent with my son and I’m doing everything I can to spend as much time with him and dealing with a lot going on right now. I hope everybody can respect that and our privacy. Kelly and I are doing our best to co-parent Colton and raise him in a loving environment whether he’s with her or with me.
3. Duncan & Kelly-Rae Have One Son Together
Duncan Keith’s son was born during the series vs. Minnesota. The younger Keith took a quick ride in the Cup today. http://t.co/ChldPKhu0N
Family has always come first for Duncan who actually left a Stanley Cup playoff game against the Minnesota Wild when Kelly-Rae gave birth to the couple’s first son in 2013.
Colton Keith was born on May 8, 2013 and currently lives with his mother during his parent’s divorce proceedings.
The littlest Keith is already an on-ice sensation. He made his rink debut just weeks after he was born, taking center stage and racking up social media headlines when he celebrated his father’s Stanley Cup victory by actually sitting inside of it.
4. Kelly-Rae Ran a Charity in the Couple’s Name
When Kelly-Rae first joined Duncan in Chicago, she was unable to work in the United States, so instead, she opted to run a charity in the couple’s name. The pair created Keith Relief in 2011 to help families in medical crisis pay for any and all necessary treatments.
Duncan and Kelly-Rae opted to focus their charitable efforts on the financial side of medicine after Kelly-Rae needed knee surgery stateside and found the cost to be overwhelming.
The charity has regularly worked with the Ronald McDonald House and recently sponsored one of two special transplant floors at the House near the Lurie’s Children’s Hospital.
5. Duncan Denied Rumors That Kelly-Rae Had an Affair With His Teammate, Patrick Sharp
Chicago Blackhawks standout Patrick Sharp was quick to dismiss rumors that he had any kind of relationship with Kelly-Rae Keith. (Getty)
Rumors swirled last season that Kelly-Rae and Chicago Blackhawks standout Patrick Sharp had engaged in an extra-marital affair. The rumors were entirely unfounded and hit Keith hard as social media exploded with suggestions that there was a rift in the Blackhawks locker room.
Per sources, #Blackhawks‘ locker room complicated by some untidy personal lives right now. Q’s job: keep things from distracting/dividing.
Although he never addressed the rumors during the season, Keith did make sure to point out that the situation had nothing to do with his and Kelly-Rae’s divorce, telling The Chicago Tribune:
I know there was a lot of talk throughout the year regarding Sharpie and that was all a complete fabrication as well. My divorce had nothing to do with anything except what was between me and Kelly-Rae, and that’s where I’d like to keep it.
Sharp also told The Chicago Tribune that he was considering legal action to put an end to the rumors and admitted that the talk had affected his on-ice play.