Former Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup winner and associate coach Keith Acton fondly remembers his friend and ex-NHL forward Mark Kirton, who fought the bravest of fights with ALS before dying Sunday in Ontario.
“It’s so sad…he really dedicated himself in every way to generate resources to fight this for others, you know, coming down the pipe, making people aware (ALS),” said Acton, who played three years of OHL junior hockey in Peterborough with Kirton, who was diagnosed with the awful disease in 2018 and died at 67.
“He gave a message on video for (former NHL goalie and TV broadcaster) Greg Millen’s funeral (April). Mark was always thinking of others. He was a good player, a good person and so resilient,” said Acton, who was successfully treated for testicular cancer when a Maple Leafs’ assistant coach to Pat Quinn.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ Hall of Famer Borje Salming, Calgary Flames’ assistant GM Chris Snow and Ottawa Senators assistant coach Bob Jones have also succumbed in the last three years to ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, the nerve system disease which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing a loss of muscle control and eventually a loss of mobility and the ability to eat and speak, paralysis and respiratory failure.
No disrespect to Kirton’s 266 NHL game career after being a second-round Toronto draft pick in 1978—it’s not easy making the best league in the world—but he got more interest for his ALS battle and raising money to draw awareness to the insidious disease. He founded ALS Action Canada with PALS (Patients with ALS), a patient-led alternative to find a cure in 2020.
Photo of former Vancouver Canuck Mark Kirton at his home in Oakville, Ontario.
Five years is usually the high bar with people with ALS and Kirton lived seven. In December, 2023, after Kirton spearheaded the effort, the seven Canadian teams got together to help raise funds and reached $1 million.
“He was a dedicated hockey player who loved the game but his dedication to this (ALS) was a whole other level,” said Acton, who won a Cup ring here in 1988, and later was on Dallas Eakins’ staff, along with owning a Boston Pizza franchise for about 20 years in Stouffville, Ont. and currently on city council there.
Kirton and Acton played three years together in Peterborough, the first season for Roger Neilson, who later would coach the Leafs and Canucks. Acton would go on to play 1,023 NHL games, and Kirton had stops with Toronto, Detroit and Vancouver, becoming an NHL role player, lessons learned from Neilson.
“Mark was strong for his size and he did the basics…he was a Roger (Neilson) kind of player, disciplined and dedicated the defensive side of the game. Good on face-offs, a good penalty-killer and he could score. He wasn’t flash and dash but he was a very serviceable player. I’m sure Roger was instrumental in Mark being drafted to the Leafs because, and deservedly so, Roger held Mark in high regard,” said Acton.
Acton, 67, was an assistant coach in Philly, Toronto, New York and Columbus and was Eakins’ right-hand man here from 2013-2015. Acton was here in the spring for an Oilers playoff game against Los Angeles Kings.
This ‘n that
Ex Oilers goalie coach Dustin Schwartz hasn’t caught on with another NHL squad but hearing he might be talking to Chinese national team coach Perry Pearn about a job with them as a skills coach for this upcoming season…
While we expect Oilers to add a few NHLers on camp tryouts—Sharks’ Klim Kostin, who played one season here and Ducks’ Brett Leason have been mentioned—you might want to add local area winger Noah Gregor, 27, (San Jose, Ottawa, Toronto) to the list of possibles. He’s played 293 games and his speed would be welcome…
Former Oil Kings’ head coach Luke Pierce will be the Western manager of operations for the Canadian Sports School Hockey League (prep academy teams) this season. He will look after discipline, among other things. He did look into some WHL assistant coaching jobs and openings in the BCJHL but will stay here for the next season, at least…
Local forward Trey Fix-Wolansky, after trying for years to get regular NHL employment in Columbus, signed a one-year free-agent deal with the Rangers in July. He needed a change of scenery, too good for the AHL (191 points, 81 goals, in 182 games the last three seasons), but he only played 26 games with the Blue Jackets. The ex Oil Kings’ scorer, currently at Pearn’s 3-on-3 pro camp in town, will get $450,000 if playing in the AHL (Hartford) and $775,000 if he makes the Rangers…
Another local player, Daniel Carr, 33, who spent the last four years in Switzerland (Lugano), signed an AHL deal for Milwaukee, the Predators farm squad…
While the Oilers have seven defencemen under NHL contract to likely start in Bakersfield—Josh Brown, Cam Dineen, Alec Regula, Riley Stillman, Beau Akey, Finn Atro Leppanen and U.S. college free-agent Damien Carfagna—the farm club did sign D Luke Prokop and Mats Lindgren to one-year AHL deals. The local product Prokop played for the Oil Kings in the 2022 Memorial Cup tournament and was a third-round draft of Nashville in 2020. Lindgren’s dad Mats, of course, played three years (199 games) with Oilers (1997-1999) as a bottom six centre. He lives in Vancouver as a skills coach at North Shore Winter Club (his wife Vanessa is from there). The ex Oiler forward’s daughter Gabriella is a tennis player at U of Michigan. Mats, the Younger, played junior for Red Deer Rebels and was a fourth-round pick of Buffalo in 2022…
Dineen did a nice late-season job with Oilers last season and was on their playoff roster and frankly would be a 6-7 NHL player in a number of place but is blocked here…
Local product Mike Benning, a restricted free-agent in Florida, just got a two-way, one-year deal from the Panthers after his strong first two years of pro in the AHL in Charlotte. Benning is a good puck-moving D but on the Cup champions, he’s unfortunately blocked right now…
Former Oiler skating coach Dave Pelletier, now on Glen Gulutzan’s Dallas staff as a first-time NHL assistant eye-in-the-sky, will be a liaison with sports performance there. “He’ll be looking at return to play, where players are at, where we’re at practice wise, how many contacts a player has had (in games). There’s a difference between skating and getting banged around,” Gulutzan, told the Stars website…
Jesse Courville-Lynch on X was right-on when he said former Bako goalie Olivier Rodrigue would be signing with Barys Astana in Kazakhstan. He’s one of five goalies on their KHL roster right now.
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