Blackhawks defenseman sparks debate with rude response to female reporter

Published On April 23, 2013 | By Jill Saftel

Monday night, the Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Vancouver Canucks in a 3-1 decision. Defenseman Duncan Keith didn’t have a great game, and was understandably not in the highest of spirits for postgame interviews. But his response to Karen Thomson of Team 1040 in Vancouver might not be so understandable, and some are claiming it might have been downright sexist.

Here’s the exchange transcribed (via Pro Hockey Talk):

Thomson: “It looked like maybe there was a penalty that went undetected. You seemed a bit frustrated.”

Keith: “Oh no I don’t think there was. I think he scored a nice goal. The ref was right there. That’s what the ref saw. We should get you as a ref maybe, hey?”

Thomson: “Yeah, maybe! Can’t skate though.”

Keith: “First female referee. Can’t play probably, either, right? But you’re thinking the game like you know it? OK, see ya.”

You can also check out the audio here, considering tone is pretty important on this one. After reading the text and listening to the conversation a few times, it was pretty nasty of Keith.

There’s really no way of knowing whether his comments have to do with the fact that Thomson’s a female or if he was just simply disagreeing with a reporter, but either way he comes off as a jerk. Rude is rude, sexist or not.

Not a good look, Keith.

 

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About The Author

Jill studies journalism at Northeastern University, covers Hockey East for College Hockey News and is the sports editor for The Huntington News. You can follow her on Twitter at @jillsaftel, just don't ask her to choose between hockey and baseball, it's impossible.