Brent Ashton
A consistent goal-scoring winger whose career is remembered less for his points and more for his unprecedented journey through a record-tying number of NHL teams.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Canadian ice hockey player·Birthday: May 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brent Ashton was traded nine times over his 14-season NHL career, a record for player movement that stood alone for years and has since only been matched. Drafted in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks in 1979, he entered the league with high expectations after a prolific junior scoring career. He delivered consistent offense, posting several 20-goal seasons, but his name became synonymous with the transaction wire. Ashton played for eight different franchises, including two separate stints with both the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques. His adaptability and professional scoring touch kept him in constant demand, even as he never settled into a long-term identity with any one club. His career illustrates the business side of hockey, where a valuable asset is continually reshuffled.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brent was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brent Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Brent's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 284 goals and 598 points over 998 NHL regular-season games.
- Recorded a career-high 33 goals and 74 points with the Minnesota North Stars in the 1981-82 season.
- Held the NHL record for most times traded (9) until Mike Sillinger tied it in 2007.
- Played in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Vancouver Canucks in 1982.
Did You Know?
He was traded for Hall of Fame defenseman Brad Park in a 1983 deal between the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings.
His final NHL trade was to the Calgary Flames in 1992 for a young prospect named Cory Stillman.
He scored 20 or more goals in seven different NHL seasons.
He played for teams in every NHL division that existed during his career.
“I packed my bags so often, the road felt like home.”
