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Mark Kirton

Canadian ice hockey player (1958–2025)

Field	Value
image	File:Mark Kirton.jpeg
position	Centre
shoots	Left
height_ft	5
height_in	10
weight_lb	170
played_for	Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
Vancouver Canucks
birth_date
birth_place	Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
death_date
death_place	Oakville, Ontario, Canada
draft	48th overall
draft_year	1978
draft_team	Toronto Maple Leafs
career_start	1978
career_end	1989

Detroit Red Wings Vancouver Canucks

Mark Robert Kirton (February 3, 1958 – August 17, 2025) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 266 games in the National Hockey League.

Playing career

Born in Regina, Kirton grew up in the Toronto 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. 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

Following his retirement in 1989, Kirton worked as a realtor in Oakville, Ontario.

Illness and death

In 2018, Kirton was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which eventually left him unable to walk. 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. Kirton died at his home in Oakville, on August 17, 2025, at the age of 67.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season	Playoffs	Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A
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	—	—	—	—	—

References

. (June 11, 2021). [""I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me": How Mark Kirton is fighting ALS with the hockey world behind him"](https://chl.ca/ohl-petes/i-dont-want-anybody-to-feel-sorry-for-me-how-mark-kirton-is-fighting-als-with-the-hockey-world-behind-him/). *[[Canadian Hockey League*.
[https://torontosun.com/sports/former-nhler-mark-kirton-shares-brave-journey-battling-als Former NHLer Mark Kirton shares brave journey battling ALS]
(November 11, 2022). "Salming creates emotional moment for fellow Maple Leafs legends, fans". [[National Hockey League]].
. (August 17, 2025). ["Kirton, who was prominent figure in fight against ALS, dies at 67"](https://www.nhl.com/news/mark-kirton-former-nhl-player-prominent-figure-in-als-fight-dies-at-67). *[[National Hockey League*.
(18 August 2025). "Mark Kirton, ex-Maple Leaf and fighter for ALS treatment, dies at 67".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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