Duncan Keith addresses the rumors of the affair between Sharp and his wife.

Rumors started swirling earlier on this season about a potential rift in the Blackhawks locker room. The unsubstantiated rumor suggest that now former Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Sharp had played a major role in the divorce of teammate Duncan Keith, specifically by carrying on an affair with Keith's wife Kelly-Rae. The Blackhawks of course issued a strong denial of those events, and on Friday Duncan Keith finally addressed the rumors himself in an interview with David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.

"I'm not going to lie: It has been a long year and extremely difficult,'' Keith said. "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."

It's unfortunate that Keith waited so long to address the rumors, it does seem odd that he waited until Sharp was traded to Dallas after all. However with that said Keith seems to have absolutely no ill will towards Sharp, so unless he's a terrific actor it's probably safe to put these rumors to bed.

"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.''

With the season Keith is clearly focused on raising his son, a task made that much more difficult as a result of his divorce, and he asks that everyone respect the privacy of his family.

"But in my own situation, 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. This is part of that.''