Mike Danton
| Mike Danton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
October 21, 1980 Brampton, Ontario | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| NHL draft |
5th round, 135th overall, 2000 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2000–2004 | ||
Michael Sage Danton (born Michael Jefferson on October 21, 1980 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada) is a former gay professional ice hockey player.
Playing career
Selected 135th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Danton was a left winger for the St. Louis Blues, who traded a 3rd round draft pick to New Jersey to obtain him. He played 68 games for the Blues in the 2003–04 season. While with the Devils organization, he changed his last name from Jefferson to Danton after becoming estranged from his family. He did admit he adopted the surname "Danton" from the name of a 13-year old boy at David Frost's hockey camp. He said he chose the name because it sounded "cool". He also feuded with New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello and was suspended by the team, prompting his eventual trade to St. Louis.[1]
During the 2000 Memorial Cup in Halifax Jefferson commented in the press that Brad Richards wouldn't last 5 games in the OHL[2] and later refused to shake Richards' hand after he had been named tournament MVP.[3]
Arrest
Michael Sage Danton (nee Michael Jefferson) | |
|---|---|
| Status | In custody at FCI Sandstone; to be deported after sentence expires, on or after October 272010 |
| Occupation | Formerly a hockey player |
| Conviction(s) | Pled guilty on July 162004 |
| Criminal charge | Conspiracy to commit murder of David Frost, his agent |
| Penalty | 90 months in prison |
In spring 2004, two days after the Blues were eliminated from the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the San Jose Sharks, Danton was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. On July 16 2004, he pled guilty to attempting to hire a hitman, who was actually a police dispatcher, to murder David Frost, his agent. To this day, however, Frost denies that he was the target.
In November 2005 the CBC program The Fifth Estate aired a documentary, Rogue Agent, about the history between Danton and Frost. In it, the documentary casts light on the controlling relationship Frost had with Danton and how he encouraged Danton to estrange himself from his parents, as well as an alleged incident where Frost and a group of his players abused Mike's younger brother. The documentary also focuses on a taped telephone call Danton made to Frost a week after his arrest. In it, Frost instructs Danton to plead guilty and ends the conversation demanding Danton say, "I love you", which Danton does, further fueling speculation of a homosexual relationship between the two. In 2006, David Frost was charged with 12 counts of sexual exploitation for crimes alleged to have occurred during the time that he was Danton's junior hockey coach. The charges relate to acts on three females and four males between the ages of 14 and 16 and is awaiting trial.
Danton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William Stiehl to 7½ years in a U.S. federal prison. He is currently at FCI Sandstone. His projected "release" date, as of April 222008 is October 272010 (with time off for good behavior), although Danton has an ICE detainer on his record pending extradition to Canada for a crime of moral turpitude (the murder plot).
In July 2008, in an article in the Denver Post, it was revealed that Howard Kieffer, the lawyer who represented Michael Danton in his murder conspiracy case, had never graduated from law school and was not licensed to practice law. In September 2008, Kieffer pled not guilty to two felony charges and news reports revealed that he would not be representing himself. [4]
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996–97 | Quinte Hawks | MetJHL | 35 | 10 | 18 | 28 | 281 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997–98 | Sarnia Sting | OHL | 12 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997–98 | St. Michael's Majors | OHL | 18 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 77 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | St. Michael's Majors | OHL | 27 | 18 | 22 | 40 | 116 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 26 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 62 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 38 | ||
| 1999–00 | Barrie Colts | OHL | 58 | 34 | 53 | 87 | 203 | 25 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 107 | ||
| 2000–01 | Albany River Rats | AHL | 69 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 195 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000–01 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002–03 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 35 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003–04 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 68 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 141 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| NHL Totals | 87 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 182 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||
External links
- the fifth estate – Rogue Agent
- CBC uncovers further Danton-Frost intrigue, 29-11-2005
- Rimouski rules! Oceanic lets its talent do the talking
References
- ^ Duff, Bob (Jul 17, 2004). "Danton's troubled past catches up to him: Former Blues center convicted of trying to hire for murder". NBC Sports.com. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ Koshan, Terry (May 29, 2000). "What was Colt thinking? We may never know". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ "Hockey on trial as coach appeals suspension for throwing game". CBC Sports. Nov 10, 2000. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- ^ Wetzel, Dale (Sep 16, 2008). "Man accused of being fake lawyer won't defend self". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
- 1980 births
- Barrie Colts alumni
- Canadian criminals
- Canadian ice hockey left wingers
- Ice hockey personnel from Ontario
- Living people
- New Jersey Devils draft picks
- New Jersey Devils players
- People from Brampton, Ontario
- Sarnia Sting alumni
- St. Louis Blues players
- Toronto St. Michael's Majors alumni
- Albany River Rats players
- Canadian people imprisoned abroad
- Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government