Drafted 14th overall in the 2003 NHL Draft, the Blackhawks did well with their pick of defenseman Brent Seabrook. Seabrook has become essential to the Hawks’ core and serves as one of the team’s alternate captains alongside Duncan Keith. Known for his greasy goals and strong leadership skills, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to Seabrook.
1. Family Man
Seabrook is known to be close with his family and has three children with his wife, Dayna. Three-year-old Carter, two-year-old Kenzie, and one-month-old Dylan play an instrumental role in Seabrook’s life off the ice. Seabrook’s mother told Leonor Vivanco of the Chicago Tribune that fatherhood has “completed him more. He’s a very caring person and he’s got a huge heart.”
Seabrook is also close to his younger brother Keith, who played for four different teams in his brief AHL career, including the Hawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
2. Friendship with Duncan Keith
Seabrook and Duncan Keith are easily the two best defensemen on the Hawks and have formed a strong friendship after playing together for over a decade. After playing on separate lines for awhile, they were reunited late in the 2016-17 season. Seabrook says of Keith, “It’s nice to start a game together and focus on a full game instead of the last couple years, (when) we’ve been put together maybe when we need a goal or on the power play. You’re definitely thinking differently than you would be if you start a game together, so that was good for us, the comfortability with each other.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psoIa17rNmA
3. “Mr. Overtime”
Seabrook is known for his aggressive style of play but also seems to work best under pressure, giving him the nickname “Mr. Overtime.” One goal that gave Seabrook this nickname was the overtime goal in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Seabrook’s overtime goal helped the Hawks overcome a 3-1 series deficit and eventually win the Cup against the Bruins.
Seabrook’s style of play and ability to prove himself under pressure make him valuable to the Hawks and have helped him win three Stanley Cups. Although he is a defenseman, he is known for getting those greasy game-winning goals that end up in highlight reels.
4. He Wants to Improve
Despite Seabrook being 32 and the Hawks’ recent bad luck in the playoffs, the defenseman believes he can improve and become a better hockey player. He told Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times, “I’ve got to be better. But I feel like I’ve got a lot of hockey left in me and a lot of good years ahead of me. This summer’s going to be a tough summer. It’s going to be a battle to get ready to go and try to have a better year next year.”
If Seabrook could return to the player he was in the 2013 playoffs when he became “Mr. Overtime”, he can easily win a fourth Cup with the Hawks, despite his age.
5. Beyond the Scoresheet
Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times argues that “Seabrook’s impact goes far beyond the scoresheet.” Lazerus continues:
Jonathan Toews is the Hawks captain. But Seabrook is the Hawks’ beating heart — the vocal leader, the wily veteran, the tension-breaker, the steadying hand. No, this isn’t Disney, but when someone does need to step up during an intermission when the Hawks are trailing in a big game, it’s usually Seabrook. When someone needs to lighten the mood in pressure-packed situations, it’s usually Seabrook. And when Toews famously and stunningly lost his cool in Detroit in the 2013 playoffs, taking three straight penalties, it was Seabrook who stepped into the penalty box, put his arm around Toews, and refocused him.
Seabrook’s leadership skills make him one of the best players on the Hawks and likely played a role in the team naming him alternate captain at the start of the 2015-16 season. Whether it comes to playing well under pressure or boosting morale, he is without a doubt one of the most valuable players on the Hawks’ roster.