Aucoin’s Success Endears Him to Hershey Community
Posted on 03. Jul, 2011 by D'Ann Faught in AHL
Photo: HersheyBears.com
Just looking at Keith Aucoin, a casual fan might not be impressed. Standing at only 5’9” and weighing in at 187 pounds, Aucoin is not exactly a dominating presence on the ice.
Born November 6, 1978, in Waltham, Massachusetts, Aucoin’s path to a career in professional hockey was also not traditional. He does not come from a family of hockey stars and he attended Norwich University, a Division III school in Vermont. However, what Keith Aucoin lacks in size and pedigree, he more than makes up for in heart and hustle. When he chooses to hang up the skates, Aucoin will go down in history as one of the greatest American Hockey League players of all time. This past season, he logged his 700th AHL point, an honor only 21 other players have accomplished.
Aucoin’s career has always been somewhat stunted by his size. The small forward was undrafted and not recruited by Division I schools. His coach at Chelmsford High School was responsible for Aucoin getting a look at Norwich University, and it was there that Aucoin began to show some serious upside. In his final two college seasons with the Cadets, Aucoin was named to the First All-Conference Team and tapped as the Player of the Year. His outstanding college career at Norwich led Aucoin to begin his professional career in 2001 with the Broome County Icemen in the United Hockey League. Over the next few seasons, Aucoin bounced around the American Hockey League, but didn’t make a big impact until after the NHL lockout in 2004-2005. That season, with the Providence Bruins, Aucoin registered 21 goals and 45 assists.
His breakout performance earned Aucoin an NHL contract with Carolina and he went on to play 53 games with the Hurricanes over the next three seasons. Despite his successes in the Hurricanes system, which included him being a member of the Black Aces when Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the team failed to offer him a new contract in 2008.
Photo: HersheyBears.com
At that time, Washington Capitals Head Coach Bruce Boudreau looked at Aucoin as a kid who needed a chance, someone who had potential, but had gotten passed over because he was not the prototypical hockey player. A coach who had spent time bouncing around the minors himself, Boudreau took a chance and the team signed Aucoin to a two-year deal. His impact on and off the ice with the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, was felt almost immediately as Aucoin earned the Reebok Player of the Week early on, and the AHL Player of the Month his first month with the team.
The 2011-2012 season will be Aucoin’s fourth with the Hershey Bears, a storied franchise where Aucoin won back-to-back Calder Cup Championships. He will enter this season in the final year of his current contract with Hershey as one of the highest paid athletes in the American Hockey League. To his teammates and coaches, Aucoin is invaluable. He has accumulated 202 points in a Hershey uniform, and suited up for 82 and 81 games respectively in his first two seasons in the Capitals system.
After his 600th career point, Aucoin was excited, but also humble. He gave credit to his linemates and the team he is a part of. “I think it’s a special thing to do…something I never thought I’d be able to do when my career started,” said Aucoin. “I owe a lot to the players I play with – just helping me out along the way, developing my game.”
In March of 2009, with his 625th point, Aucoin became the AHL’s highest scoring American-born player. His efforts that year were career highs for Aucoin, leading the Hershey Bears in team points and earning him the nod for the Les Cunningham Award for the AHL’s Most Valuable Player.
At 33 years old, Keith Aucoin is already a legend in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In a small town, where hockey is at the heart of the community, this scrappy kid from Massachusetts has secured a spot in the minds of fans. There is even a Facebook fan page dedicated to him named, “Keith Aucoin is the greatest hockey player ever,” that was started when he played for Carolina but has been added to over the years.
With only one year left on his contract, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Aucoin, but it is evident that he has the heart of a champion and is one of those guys that gives his all every time he steps on the ice, at every level of professional hockey.