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Keith doesn’t remember if he taunted Backes after Seabrook hit

DavidBackesAP

On Sunday, video circulated online of what sounded like a Blackhawks player taunting Blues captain David Backes in the aftermath of the Brent Seabrook hit by saying “wakey wakey, Backes.”

On Monday, Duncan Keith -- who some alleged to be the guy that said it -- confirmed that things were said on the ice, but couldn’t remember what the verbal exchanges consisted of.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Keith, who had come in to support Seabrook after the hit resulted in a melee, was standing along the boards near Backes at the time. Keith didn’t deny saying it, but didn’t admit it, either.

“There’s lots of things that get said out on the ice in the course of a hockey game, especially in playoffs,” Keith said Monday. “I’m an emotional guy, it’s an emotional game. I don’t remember everything that gets said out there. I didn’t even see the hit, to be honest with you. I’m playing the puck and I shot the puck around, the next thing you know, I see Seabs getting in a fracas, so I jumped in there. I don’t know what was going on.”

Asked again if he said it, Keith added, “I don’t remember everything that gets said.”

Here’s the video. Listen carefully beginning around 40 seconds in -- the “wakey wakey, Backes” chirp occurs around the 45-second mark:

You can see St. Louis’ Alex Steen visibly irate with something he heard, though it’s unclear who said what. When asked specifically about the Backes taunt, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews offered a similar response to Keith.

“I don’t know, some things were said in the heat of the moment,” he said. “Most of that stuff goes unheard on the part of the fans and media.

“It’s not easy to not regret some of the things that might have been said, whether it’s on that play or any other play. Sometimes that happens.”