diff --git a/modules/angular2/src/render/dom/events/key_events.ts b/modules/angular2/src/render/dom/events/key_events.ts
index ec11038a82..d95c4366f3 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/src/render/dom/events/key_events.ts
+++ b/modules/angular2/src/render/dom/events/key_events.ts
@@ -39,15 +39,16 @@ export class KeyEventsPlugin extends EventManagerPlugin {
   }
 
   static parseEventName(eventName: string) /* {'domEventName': string, 'fullKey': string} */ {
-    eventName = eventName.toLowerCase();
-    var parts = eventName.split('.');
+    var parts = eventName.toLowerCase().split('.');
+
     var domEventName = ListWrapper.removeAt(parts, 0);
     if ((parts.length === 0) ||
         !(StringWrapper.equals(domEventName, 'keydown') ||
           StringWrapper.equals(domEventName, 'keyup'))) {
       return null;
     }
-    var key = ListWrapper.removeLast(parts);
+
+    var key = KeyEventsPlugin._normalizeKey(ListWrapper.removeLast(parts));
 
     var fullKey = '';
     ListWrapper.forEach(modifierKeys, (modifierName) => {
@@ -94,4 +95,14 @@ export class KeyEventsPlugin extends EventManagerPlugin {
     }
   };
 }
+
+static _normalizeKey(keyName: string): string {
+  // TODO: switch to a StringMap if the mapping grows too much
+  switch (keyName) {
+    case 'esc':
+      return 'escape';
+    default:
+      return keyName;
+  }
+}
 }
diff --git a/modules/angular2/test/render/dom/events/key_events_spec.js b/modules/angular2/test/render/dom/events/key_events_spec.js
index 6eba3c1c79..7ab50941d6 100644
--- a/modules/angular2/test/render/dom/events/key_events_spec.js
+++ b/modules/angular2/test/render/dom/events/key_events_spec.js
@@ -65,5 +65,10 @@ export function main() {
 
     });
 
+    it('should alias esc to escape', () => {
+      expect(KeyEventsPlugin.parseEventName('keyup.control.esc'))
+          .toEqual(KeyEventsPlugin.parseEventName('keyup.control.escape'));
+    });
+
   });
 }