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Patrick Kane shared a laugh with Wayne Gretzky, Duncan Keith peered through a maze of people trying to get the attention of his 3-year-old son and Jonathan Toews conducted an interview not far from where Mario Lemieux was holding court.

The trio of Blackhawks fit right in with the legends of the game in the aftermath of the NHL’s unveiling of the Top 100 greatest players Friday night.

Of the 100 on the list that included former Hawks Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito, Max Bentley, Glenn Hall, Denis Savard and Chris Chelios, six are active NHLers. Three of them are Kane, Keith and Toews. The teammates also all landed within the Top 10 of the Tribune’s ranking of the 100 most important people in Hawks history.

While the debate can rage over whether what the Hawks have accomplished in the last seven years — Stanley Cup championships in 2010, ’13 and ’15 — constitutes a dynasty, the inclusion of Toews, Kane and Keith among the Top 100 greatest players is a good barometer of the impact and popularity of the organization’s brightest stars.

“It kind of defines this era when in the Top 100 players you have three current guys,” team president John McDonough said. “To be with them (Friday night) and to see them so humbled by that designation with all that they’ve been through … was rewarding.”

Sharing the stage with the likes of Gretzky, Lemieux, Bobby Orr and the royalty of the sport left all three veterans appreciative of their standings in the game.

“It’s pretty surreal, pretty unbelievable,” Kane said. “Being there with Johnny and Duncan and the … bunch of other Blackhawks … it’s a pretty special group. I’m honored.”

Said Toews: “I want to let myself believe it but at the same time there is that part of you that wants to stay humble. The amount of incredible people and special players that have done so much to build this game, they’re the ones who make it special for you to get drafted and to realize your dream to play in the NHL to begin with.

“I’m midway through my career and all of a sudden I’m being thrown on a stage with some of the all-time greats. To share it with two close friends like ‘Kaner’ and ‘Duncs,’ is pretty incredible and I don’t think it’s ever something that will sink in.”

No other team had more than one current player among the Top 100 with the others being the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, the Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin and the Panthers’ Jaromir Jagr.

“Looking at it from a personal standpoint, to be able to do this and have those experiences with two other guys on the team, I’m just lucky to be on a team with such good players,” Keith said. “It’s not just me, Kane and Toews, it’s other guys like (Brent) Seabrook and (Marian) Hossa and Patrick Sharp and Niklas Hjalmarsson and Corey Crawford. That’s what makes a team and that’s how you win Stanley Cups.”

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The significance of three current players from the same team being honored was not lost on Toews.

“We’ve been given the opportunity (to be) part of something special, part of a revival of hockey in Chicago,” the Hawks’ captain said. “We were honored to have those opportunities and to take advantage of them. … It has magnified itself on so many levels.”

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Twitter @ChrisKuc

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