Keith Acton

Last updated

Keith Acton
20140927-KeithActon.jpg
Acton in 2014
Born (1958-04-15) April 15, 1958 (age 66)
Stouffville, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Minnesota North Stars
Edmonton Oilers
Philadelphia Flyers
Washington Capitals
New York Islanders
National teamFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
NHL draft 103rd overall, 1978
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 19781995

Keith Edward Acton (born April 15, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), with the Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota North Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders between 1980 and 1994. In his NHL coaching career he has been an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs [1] [2] and most recently the Edmonton Oilers, who released Acton and fellow assistant Craig Ramsay on June 4, 2015. [3] [4]

Contents

Acton ran for mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville in the 2018 elections. [5]

Playing career

Montreal Canadiens (1978–1984)

Acton was selected 103rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He spent most of the first two seasons of his career in the American Hockey League (AHL), playing for the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, who were the Montreal Canadians' AHL affiliate team at the time. He would also play 2 games for Montreal at this time, making his NHL debut on December 11, 1979 against the New York Islanders. In his first game he would record his first point in the NHL, an assist on a goal scored by Guy Lapointe. [6]

Acton would make Montreal's final roster in the beginning of the 1980–81 season. He would score his first NHL goal on October 21, 1980 in a 3–4 loss against the St. Louis Blues. [7] He finished his first full season in the NHL with 30 points in 61 games.

His most productive NHL season came in 1981–82 when he registered 88 points in 78 games with Montreal. He began the season on Montreal's fourth line but his productive play soon earned him a promotion to the first line, where he centered all-stars Steve Shutt and Guy Lafleur. He became known as one of the best faceoff men in the NHL. [8] Acton would score two hat tricks during the season. He would score his first in an 11–2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 27, 1981. [9] His second hat trick would happen almost a month later on November 21, 1981 in a 9–5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Acton would play in the 1982 NHL All-Star Game. [10]

When his production dipped in the 1982–83 season to just fifty points, his stock in Montreal fell, leading to Acton being traded early in the 1983-84 season. On October 28, 1983, Acton was traded alongside teammate Mark Napier to the Minnesota North Stars for Bobby Smith.

Minnesota North Stars (1983–1988)

With Minnesota, Acton reeled off three consecutive 20-goal seasons. On January 22, 1988, after a slow start to the 1987-88 season, Acton was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Moe Mantha.

Edmonton Oilers (1988–1989)

With Edmonton and their high-powered offence, Acton was not expected to help carry the offence and settled into a more defensive role. That spring he won the Stanley Cup though he played just seven games in the postseason. Acton was a healthy scratch through the first two rounds and remained in the press box through the first three games of the conference final against the Detroit Red Wings. However, with the Oilers' coaching staff looking for more speed on their fourth line, Acton was inserted into the lineup for game four and he paid immediate dividends, scoring the series-clinching goal. His clutch play continued in the Stanley Cup Finals when he ended game one against the Boston Bruins by tipping a Steve Smith point shot for the game-winning goal. Despite his playoff heroics, it still proved difficult to carve out a place on the Oilers' deep roster and late in the 1988-89 season, on February 7, 1989, Acton was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Dave Brown. [11]

Philadelphia Flyers (1989–1993)

Acton spent the next four seasons with the Flyers. Acton would only play 50 games in the 1991–92 season after breaking his wrist. After his contract ran out, the Flyers decided to release Acton, and he would become a free agent for the first time in his career.

Washington Capitals, New York Islanders and retirement (1993–1995)

During the 1993-94 season he signed with the Washington Capitals but was put on waivers after just six games, and was claimed by the New York Islanders, where he would play for the rest of the season. Acton would sign with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the 1994–95 season, where he would play 12 games before retiring from professional hockey.

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, Acton would become the assistant coach of multiple NHL teams including the Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Edmonton Oilers. [12]

Personal life

Acton's son, Will, is also a hockey player. Like his father, Will played parts of two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. After playing in the DEL for five seasons, Will retired from playing and is currently a pro scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins. [13]

In 2018, Acton became a candidate for mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, in the Ontario municipal elections [14] in which he came in second. [15]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGP G A Pts PIM GPGAPtsPIM
1974–75 Wexford Raiders OPJHL 4323295246
1975–76 Peterborough Petes OMJHL 359172630
1976–77 Peterborough PetesOMJHL6552691219341456
1977–78 Peterborough PetesOMJHL68428612852211081816
1977–78 Peterborough Petes MC 30110
1978–79 Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL 7915264122104264
1979–80 Montreal Canadiens NHL 20110
1979–80 Nova Scotia VoyageursAHL754553983861238
1980–81 Montreal CanadiensNHL611524397420006
1981–82 Montreal CanadiensNHL7836528888504416
1982–83 Montreal CanadiensNHL782426506330000
1983–84 Montreal CanadiensNHL937104
1983–84 Minnesota North Stars NHL621738556015471112
1984–85 Minnesota North StarsNHL782038589094486
1985–86 Minnesota North StarsNHL7926325810050336
1986–87 Minnesota North StarsNHL7816294556
1987–88 Minnesota North StarsNHL468111974
1987–88 Edmonton Oilers NHL2636921720216
1988–89 Edmonton OilersNHL4611152647
1988–89 Philadelphia Flyers NHL2531013641623518
1989–90 Philadelphia FlyersNHL6913142780
1990–91 Philadelphia FlyersNHL76142337131
1991–92 Philadelphia FlyersNHL507101798
1992–93 Philadelphia FlyersNHL838152351
1993–94 Washington Capitals NHL600021
1993–94 New York Islanders NHL712795040008
1994–95 Hershey Bears AHL12571258
NHL totals1,0232263585841,1726612213388

International

YearTeamEvent GPGAPtsPIM
1986 Canada WC 103032
1990 CanadaWC102020
1992 CanadaWC61012
Senior totals266064

Coaching statistics

Season  Team                Lge Type  1994-95 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Assistant                1995-96 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Assistant                1996-97 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Assistant                1997-98 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Associate                1998-99 New York Rangers    NHL Assistant                1999-00 New York Rangers    NHL Assistant                2001-02 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant                2002-03 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant                2003-04 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant                2005-06 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant                2006-07 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant                2007-08 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant  2008-09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant  2009-10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant  2010-11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Assistant 2013-14 Edmonton Oilers     NHL Assistant 

See also

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References

  1. Columbus Blue Jackets Name Keith Acton Assistant Coach, June 20, 2012
  2. Michael Hayakawa, "Leafs part ways with Acton," Stouffville Sun-Tribune, June 20, 2011.
  3. Acton Joins Oilers Staff as an Associate Coach, June 28, 2013
  4. "Keith Acton, Craig Ramsay, assistant coaches, let go by Oilers". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. June 4, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. "Former NHL player Keith Acton looking to challenge scandal-ridden Stouffville mayor". The Globe and Mail , August 6, 2018.
  6. "Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Islanders Box Score: December 11, 1979". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  7. "Montreal Canadiens vs. St. Louis Blues Box Score: October 21, 1980". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  8. Legends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Keith Acton
  9. Red, Fisher (October 28, 1981). "Allen at a loss for words after Canadiens jolt Flyers". The Montreal Gazette . p. 99. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  10. "2008 NHL ALL-STAR GAME - ATLANTA". July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  11. "The Philadelphia Flyers acquired center Keith Acton from the... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  12. "Acton joins Eakins on Oilers coaching staff". www.sportsnet.ca. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  13. Orpik, Hooks (July 12, 2021). "Penguins hire host of new scouts to add to hockey operations department". PensBurgh. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  14. "Keith Acton Seeks Stouffville Mayor's Chair". Stouffville Media. September 4, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  15. "Whitchurch-Stouffville election night live 2018: Iain Lovatt unseats Justin Altmann". Stouffville Sun-Tribune. October 22, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2021.