Keith Acton
Acton in 2014
Born (1958-04-15) April 15, 1958
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 team  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]

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

Playing career

Acton was selected 103rd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He began his NHL career 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.[6] His most productive NHL season came in 1981–82 when he registered 88 points in 78 games with Montreal. When his production dipped the following year to just fifty points, his stock in Montreal fell and early in the 1983-84 campaign, Acton was part of a blockbuster trade. The Canadiens packaged Acton up with Mark Napier and a third pick and dealt them to the Minnesota North Stars for Bobby Smith.

With Minnesota, Acton reeled off three consecutive 20-goal seasons but after a slow start to the 1987-88 season he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers.

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 post season. Acton was a healthy scratch through the first two rounds and remained in the pressbox 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, his second in Edmonton, he was on the move again when he was traded to Philadelphia in exchange for tough guy Dave Brown.

Acton spent the next four seasons with the Flyers. During 1993-94 season he signed with Washington Capitals but was put on waivers after just six games, and was claimed by the New York Islanders, with whom he finished the season before retiring.

Personal life

Acton's son, Will, is also a hockey player. Like his father, Will played parts of two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. Will now plays for the Schwenninger Wild Wings of the DEL.[7]

In 2018, Acton became a candidate for mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, in the Ontario municipal elections[8] in which he came in second.[9]

Awards and achievements

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1974–75Wexford RaidersOPJHL4323295246
1975–76Peterborough PetesOMJHL359172630
1976–77Peterborough PetesOMJHL6552691219341456
1977–78Peterborough PetesOMJHL68428612852211081816
1977–78Peterborough PetesMC30110
1978–79Nova Scotia VoyageursAHL7915264122104264
1979–80Montreal CanadiensNHL20110
1979–80Nova Scotia VoyageursAHL754553983861238
1980–81Montreal CanadiensNHL611524397420006
1981–82Montreal CanadiensNHL7836528888504416
1982–83Montreal CanadiensNHL782426506330000
1983–84Montreal CanadiensNHL937104
1983–84Minnesota North StarsNHL621738556015471112
1984–85Minnesota North StarsNHL782038589094486
1985–86Minnesota North StarsNHL7926325810050336
1986–87Minnesota North StarsNHL7816294556
1987–88Minnesota North StarsNHL468111974
1987–88Edmonton OilersNHL2636921720216
1988–89Edmonton OilersNHL4611152647
1988–89Philadelphia FlyersNHL2531013641623518
1989–90Philadelphia FlyersNHL6913142780
1990–91Philadelphia FlyersNHL76142337131
1991–92Philadelphia FlyersNHL507101798
1992–93Philadelphia FlyersNHL838152351
1993–94Washington CapitalsNHL600021
1993–94New York IslandersNHL712795040008
1994–95Hershey BearsAHL12571258
NHL totals1,0232263585841,1726612213388

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1986CanadaWC103032
1990CanadaWC102020
1992CanadaWC61012
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

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. Legends of Hockey - NHL Player Search - Player - Keith Acton
  7. "Eliteprospects.com - Will Acton". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  8. "Keith Acton Seeks Stouffville Mayor's Chair". Stouffville Media. September 4, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  9. "Whitchurch-Stouffville election night live 2018: Iain Lovatt unseats Justin Altmann". Stouffville Sun-Tribune. October 22, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
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