from David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune,

Turning to hockey, Keith sighed when asked about all the changes since he and his Hawks teammates hoisted the silver chalice. Keith occupied the locker next to Brandon Saad's in the dressing room the last three years. Fellow defenseman Johnny Oduya always sat across from Keith on team flights. Sharp, in Keith's words, "is along with Seabs (Brent Seabrook) one of my two best friends in hockey.'' All three players became former Hawks thanks to the salary cap, an NHL reality Keith understands more than he accepts.

"Anytime you play with someone for a long time you're going to develop chemistry, a bond and a friendship and I was really close with those three guys,'' Keith said. "Sharpie, I played with for 10 years. It's tough to say goodbye. They're all difficult. As hockey players, we've been through this before when we know it's part of the business. But at the same time, it sucks. There's no other way to put it.''

Lamenting the loss of old teammates in no way reflects Keith's excitement over his new ones. Like a sportscaster reporting the trade, Keith pointed out defenseman Trevor Daley scored 16 goals for the Stars last season. He called forward Ryan Garbutt, who came with Daley in the Sharp deal, "the hardest guy to play against when we played Dallas.''

"He really is a pain so we're happy to have him on our side now,'' Keith said. "Our goal is to win a Stanley Cup every year, and we're looking forward to bringing the new guys into the fold. Some of the new players we acquired are really going to help.''

more including Keith addressing some rumors regarding his personal life...