Keith Acton
Encyclopedia
Keith Edward Acton is a Canadian
retired 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. He was formerly an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers
, the New York Rangers
, and Toronto Maple Leafs
(2001–2011).
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. His most productive NHL season came in 1981–82 when he registered 88 points in 78 games with Montreal. He won a Stanley Cup
in 1988 as a member of the Edmonton Oilers
.
Acton's son, Will, is a minor-pro hockey player.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
retired professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
centre
Centre (ice hockey)
The centre in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. Centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface than any other player...
who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, Minnesota North Stars
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white...
, Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
, Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
and New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
between 1980 and 1994. He was formerly an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, and Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
(2001–2011).
Playing career
Acton was selected 103rd overall by the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft
1978 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1978 NHL Amateur Draft occurred at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec on June 15, 1978. It was the last draft to be called the "Amateur Draft" before the process was renamed to the NHL Entry Draft in 1979.-Selections by round:...
. 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
Steve Shutt
Stephen John Shutt is a former Canadian ice hockey player. He was an integral part of the Montreal Canadiens team that won five Stanley Cups in 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979.-Early years:...
and Guy Lafleur
Guy Lafleur
Guy Damien "The Flower" / "Le Démon Blond" Lafleur, OC, CQ is a former Canadian professional ice hockey player who is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and popular players ever to play professional ice hockey...
. He became known as one of the best faceoff men in the NHL. His most productive NHL season came in 1981–82 when he registered 88 points in 78 games with Montreal. He won a Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
in 1988 as a member of the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
.
Acton's son, Will, is a minor-pro hockey player.
Awards and achievements
- 1979-80 AHLAmerican Hockey LeagueThe American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Second Team All-Star - 1987–88 - NHL - Stanley CupStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
(EdmontonEdmonton OilersThe Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
)
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Wexford Raiders Toronto Jr. Canadiens The Toronto Jr. Canadiens are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Downsview, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Division Hockey but also used to be a part of the Metro Junior A Hockey League and were known as the Wexford Raiders until the end of the 2005-06 season.-History:The team... |
OPJHL | 43 | 23 | 29 | 52 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Peterborough Petes Peterborough Petes The Peterborough Petes are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team has played in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, since 1956, and is the oldest continuously operating team in the league.-History:... |
OMJHL | 35 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Peterborough Petes | OMJHL | 65 | 52 | 69 | 121 | 93 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1977–78 | Peterborough Petes | OMJHL | 68 | 42 | 86 | 128 | 52 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 16 | ||
| 1977–78 | Peterborough Petes | M-Cup 1978 Memorial Cup The 1978 Memorial Cup occurred May 6-May 13 at the Sudbury Community Arena in Sudbury, Ontario, and at the Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Participating teams were the winners of the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and Western Hockey... |
— | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1978–79 1978–79 AHL season The 1978–79 AHL season was the 43rd season of the American Hockey League. The league inaugurates the Ken McKenzie Award, for the most outstanding marketing executive, showing its commitment to marketing and public relations.... |
Nova Scotia Voyageurs Nova Scotia Voyageurs The Nova Scotia Voyageurs were a professional ice hockey team, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They played in the American Hockey League, from 1971 to 1984. The Voyageurs played their first two seasons , as the Montreal Voyageurs.... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
79 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 1979–80 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 1979–80 AHL season The 1979–80 AHL season was the 44th season of the American Hockey League. Ten teams were scheduled to play 80 games each. The New Haven Nighthawks finished first overall in the regular season... |
Nova Scotia Voyageurs | AHL | 75 | 45 | 53 | 98 | 38 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | ||
| 1980–81 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 61 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 74 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1981–82 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 36 | 52 | 88 | 88 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 16 | ||
| 1982–83 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 24 | 26 | 50 | 63 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1983–84 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Minnesota North Stars Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, and the team's colors for most of its history were green, yellow, gold and white... |
NHL | 62 | 17 | 38 | 55 | 60 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 1984–85 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 20 | 38 | 58 | 90 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 1985–86 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 79 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 100 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1986–87 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 78 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 46 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
NHL | 26 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1988–89 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 46 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 25 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 64 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 1989–90 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 69 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 76 | 14 | 23 | 37 | 131 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 50 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 98 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 83 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 51 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL | 71 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 1994–95 AHL season The 1994–95 AHL season was the 59th season of the American Hockey League. The All-Star Game is revived, with All-Stars grouped into "Team Canada" and "Team USA." Sixteen teams played 80 games each in the schedule... |
Hershey Bears Hershey Bears The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of... |
AHL | 12 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 1023 | 226 | 358 | 584 | 1172 | 66 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 88 | ||||
| OMJHL totals | 168 | 103 | 172 | 275 | 175 | 25 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 22 | ||||
| AHL totals | 166 | 65 | 86 | 151 | 118 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 1986 World Ice Hockey Championships The 1986 Ice Hockey World Championships took place in the Soviet Union from 12 April to 28 April. The games were played at the Palace of Sports of the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow, and eight teams took part. Each team played each other once, and then the four best teams played each other again.... |
Canada | WEC Ice Hockey World Championships The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European... |
10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| 1990 1990 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -Final Round:-Consolation Round:Norway needing to keep their final game within four goals, lost four to nothing to the Germans, and were relegated.... |
Canada | WEC | 10 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1992 1992 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships - Group 2 :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Poland was relegated to Group B.- Quarterfinals :- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :Played in Klagenfurt April 2-12... |
Canada | WC | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Senior int'l totals | 26 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |||
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