Keith M. Aucoin (born November 6, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, New York Islanders, and St. Louis Blues. Playing career He was raised in Waltham and then Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and attended Chelmsford High School. Aucoin spent four seasons with Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, before turning professional in 2001. Aucoin made his NHL debut during the 2005–06 NHL season with the Carolina Hurricanes. It was at the end of this season that he was a member of the "Black Aces," a group of players kept on the roster as healthy scratches for the Hurricanes' playoff run that ended with the Hurricanes being crowned Stanley Cup champions. Aucoin did not have his name added to the cup as he did not play in any of the playoff games, but can be seen on the ice during the celebration and did receive a championship ring. He would go on to play 53 regular season games for the Hurricanes over three seasons, scoring 5 goals and 15 points. On July 3, 2008, Aucoin signed with the Washington Capitals. After attending the Capitals training camp for the 2008–09 season, the Capitals sent Aucoin to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. Aucoin's presence with Hershey had an immediate impact as he won the Reebok Player of the Week honors on October 12, 2008, and then the AHL Player of the Month for October 2008. In his first 20 games of 2008, he scored 8 goals with 21 assists. In December 2008, Aucoin was called up to the NHL with the Capitals, playing in 12 games, scoring two goals and assisting on four. He was reassigned back to the Bears for the playoffs where he won the Calder Cup in six games over the Manitoba Moose. During the 2009–10 season, Aucoin was re-signed to a two-year contract extension on March 8, 2010. In helping the Bears capture a second consecutive Calder Cup, he was awarded the Les Cunningham Award as the league's most valuable player during the regular season. For the 2011–12 season, Aucoin made the Capitals opening night roster due to injuries of other forwards. He played in 27 games for 11 points over the course of the season and was a regular in the playoffs. It was the most time he spent in the NHL since