Keith Edward Acton (born April 15, 1958) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre who played 15 seasons in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

(NHL), with the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...

and

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...

between 1980 and 1994. In his NHL coaching career he has been an assistant coach with the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...

, the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

, the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

and most recently the Edmonton Oilers, who released Acton and fellow assistant Craig Ramsay on June 4, 2015. Acton ran for mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville in the 2018 elections.

Playing career

Montreal Canadiens (1978–1984)

Acton was selected 103rd overall by the

in the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft. He spent most of the first two seasons of his career in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(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

. In his first game he would record his first point in the NHL, an assist on a goal scored by Guy Lapointe. 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. 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 Guy Damien Lafleur (September 20, 1951 – April 22, 2022), nicknamed "the Flower" and "Le Démon Blond", was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was the first player in National Hockey League (NHL) history to score 50 goals in six c ...

. He became known as one of the best faceoff men in the NHL. Acton would score two hat tricks during the season. He would score his first in an 11–2 victory against the

on October 27, 1981. His second hat trick would happen almost a month later on November 21, 1981 in a 9–5 victory over the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. The Penguins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), E ...

. Acton would play in the 1982 NHL All-Star Game. 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

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.

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 The Hershey Bears are a professional ice hockey team based in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Bears have played in the American Hockey League (AHL) since the 1938–39 season, making it the longest continuously operating member club of the league still ...

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,

, and Edmonton Oilers.

Personal life

Acton's son,

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, is also a hockey player. Like his father, Will played parts of two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers. After playing in the

DEL Del, or nabla, is an operator used in mathematics (particularly in vector calculus) as a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol ∇. When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes ...

for five seasons, Will retired from playing and is currently a pro scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2018, Acton became a candidate for mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, in the Ontario municipal elections in which he came in second.

Awards and achievements

*1979-80 AHL Second Team All-Star * 1987–88 - NHL -

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

(

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

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

References

External links

*
Profile at hockeydraftcentral.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acton, Keith 1958 births Living people Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Canadian people of English descent Canadian sportsperson-politicians Columbus Blue Jackets coaches Edmonton Oilers coaches Edmonton Oilers players Hershey Bears players Ice hockey people from Ontario Minnesota North Stars players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen Montreal Canadiens draft picks Montreal Canadiens players New York Islanders players New York Rangers coaches Nova Scotia Voyageurs players Sportspeople from Whitchurch-Stouffville Peterborough Petes (ice hockey) players Philadelphia Flyers coaches Philadelphia Flyers players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs coaches Washington Capitals players