Keith
Acton
1952-1963
| Position | C |
| Shoots | L |
| Weight | 170lbs |
| Height | 5'8" |
| Date of birth | April 15th, 1958 |
| Place of birth | Stouffville, ON, CAN |
| Seasons - MTL | 5 |
| Seasons - NHL | 19 |
| Other numbers | 30 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
+/-
Plus/Minus - The number of team goals for minus the number of team goals against while the player is on the ice
|
PIM
Penalties infraction minutes - Number of penalty minutes the player has been assessed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 228 | 78 | 110 | 188 | 42 | 229 |
| 1979-1980 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1980-1981 | 61 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 5 | 74 |
| 1981-1982 | 78 | 36 | 52 | 88 | 48 | 88 |
| 1982-1983 | 78 | 24 | 26 | 50 | -6 | 63 |
| 1983-1984 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -5 | 4 |
| SEASON |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
+/-
Plus/Minus - The number of team goals for minus the number of team goals against while the player is on the ice
|
PIM
Penalties infraction minutes - Number of penalty minutes the player has been assessed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTALS | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| 1980-1981 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1981-1982 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 1982-1983 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
RELENTLESS AND INTENSE, FORWARD KEITH ACTON SHOWED OFF HIS OFFENSIVE SKILLS IN 1981-82 WHEN HE LED THE TEAM WITH 88 POINTS.
Over a hundred players had their names called before the Montreal Canadiens, chose Keith Acton in the 1978 Amateur Draft. Only two would play in more regular season games than the gritty 5-foot-7, 170-pound center from Stouffville, Ontario, who began his NHL career with three full seasons in a Habs uniform.
After two years seasoning with the American Hockey League’s Nova Scotia Voyageurs, where Acton established himself as a rugged, reliable pivot, he joined the Canadiens to start the 1980-81 campaign.
A hard-nosed approach to the game made him a good fit alongside his original linemates, rugged Yvon Lambert and pesky Mario Tremblay, but Acton’s offensive skills soon had him matched with new wingers.
Inserted between Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt, the newcomer added an element of toughness to the team’s top scoring duo. The dogged two-way player became one of the NHL’s top faceoff artists, picked up 15 goals in his initial NHL season and also avoided the sophomore jinx. Leading all Habs on the score sheet with 36 goals and 52 assists, the best performance of his career, Acton was selected to play in the 1982 All-Star game.
Acton continued his gritty play, doing a lot of the heavy lifting for the team’s top line. He crashed the net, backchecked, battled for puck possession and managed to light the lamp 24 times in 1982-83 before leaving Montreal shortly after the beginning of the 1983-84 schedule, headed to Minnesota in the deal that put Bobby Smith in a Canadiens sweater.
Shifting his allegiance to a new team Acton’s work ethic made him an integral part of an organization on the ascent, one that made it through to the third round of the playoffs in the spring of 1984.
After five seasons with the North Stars, Acton was on the move once again, this time to Edmonton, where he played on the 1988 Stanley Cup Champions before spending the better part of five seasons in Philadelphia.
Acton retired following the conclusion of play in 1993-94, a season he divided between the Washington Capitals and New York Islanders, and making an effortless transition to the coaching ranks returning to the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant.
He has since filled similar positions with the Rangers and Maple Leafs.
