Mark Robert Kirton (born February 3, 1958) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 266 games in the National Hockey League.
| Mark Kirton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
February 3, 1958 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings Vancouver Canucks | ||
| NHL Draft |
48th overall, 1978 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 1978–1989 | ||
Playing career edit
Born in Regina, Kirton grew up in the Toronto, Ontario suburb of Scarborough. He played minor hockey for the Wexford Warriors, then in the Ontario Major Junior Hockey League with coach Roger Neilson and the Peterborough Petes, from 1975-76 (with Neilson) to 1977-78 under Gary Green. During his final season, he along with other future NHLers including fellow Scarberian Bill Gardiner, Stouffville's Keith Acton, and goalie Ken Ellacott won the J. Ross Robertson Cup for the OMJHL title over the Hamilton Fincups. They lost in the 1978 Memorial Cup to Kirton's future NHL teammates John Ogrodnick (Detroit) and Stan Smyl (Vancouver) of the defending champion New Westminster Bruins, whom they defeated twice in the round-robin. Kirton was named the tournament's All-Star centre, and won the George Parsons Trophy for most sportsmanlike play.
A month following the Memorial Cup loss, Kirton was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs as the 48th pick, in the third round of the 1978 NHL Amateur Draft, by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played for the Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and Vancouver Canucks. He also spent several years in the American Hockey League playing for the minor league affiliates of his NHL teams.
Personal life edit
Kirton currently works as a realtor in Oakville, Ontario.
In 2018, Kirton was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[1] After Kirton's former teammate and mentor Börje Salming was diagnosed with ALS in August 2022, Kirton provided support and guidance to Salming, after being reconnected through Darryl Sittler.[2]
Career statistics edit
Regular season and playoffs edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1974–75 | Wexford Warriors | MJBHL | 38 | 18 | 29 | 47 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1975–76 | Peterborough Petes | OMJHL | 65 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1976–77 | Peterborough Petes | OMJHL | 48 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 41 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1977–78 | Peterborough Petes | OMJHL | 68 | 27 | 44 | 71 | 29 | 21 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 14 | ||
| 1978–79 | New Brunswick Hawks | AHL | 80 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1979–80 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979–80 | New Brunswick Hawks | AHL | 61 | 19 | 42 | 61 | 33 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 16 | ||
| 1980–81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1980–81 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 50 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981–82 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 74 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 62 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 31 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||
| 1983–84 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 35 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1984–85 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 62 | 17 | 5 | 22 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 15 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 77 | 23 | 36 | 59 | 33 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1986–87 | Fredericton Express | AHL | 80 | 27 | 37 | 64 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Newmarket Saints | AHL | 73 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Newmarket Saints | AHL | 37 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 458 | 123 | 202 | 325 | 186 | 35 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 28 | ||||
| NHL totals | 266 | 57 | 56 | 113 | 121 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | ||||
References edit
- ^ Former NHLer Mark Kirton shares brave journey battling ALS
- ^ Zeisberger, Mike (November 11, 2022). "Salming creates emotional moment for fellow Maple Leafs legends, fans". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database