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Mike Danton, a centre with the St. Louis Blues, was arrested
in San Jose, Calif., on April 16, 2004 just hours after the
team was ousted by the Sharks in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup
playoffs. A criminal complaint filed in a federal court in
Illinois stated that Danton and a woman, 19-year-old Katie
Wolfmeyer, allegedly attempted to hire a man to kill a male
acquaintance, reported to be Danton's lover.
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A 23-year-old win-at-all-cost scrapper, Danton played all
five playoff games, scoring a goal in Game 4, a 4-3 loss on
April 13.
- Danton struggled to regain his spot in the Blues' lineup late in the regular season after missing eight games with a shoulder injury. Unlike in the past, he kept his mouth shut and continued to work hard, a sign that Danton's career and life seemingly had turned the corner.
- Danton cracked the Blues' lineup out of training camp, replacing fellow pest Tyson Nash, and posted 12 points in a career-high 68 games in 2003-04.
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The Blues gave Danton a fresh start, acquiring the physical
forward in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on June 21,
2003.
- Danton scored twice in 17 games with New Jersey during 2002-03
season.
- A native of Brampton, Ont., Danton was suspended by the Devils in December 2002 when he refused a demotion to the team's American Hockey League affiliate in Albany. A month later, he served the Devils with legal papers, seeking to gain his release from the team. Danton sat at home while New Jersey won the 2003 Stanley Cup.
- Known to some hockey fans as the guy who uttered, "I'm not drinking Lou's Kool-Aid." The comment was in reference to Devils' general manager Lou Lamoriello, who refused to pay the medical bills when Danton sought advice on a reported abdominal tear.
- Legally changed his last name to Danton from Jefferson on July 25, 2002, because he wanted to distance himself from a bad relationship with his family, including his father Steve. Chose the name Danton because it was the first name of a boy at a summer hockey camp, and it sounded cool.
Mike Danton had one goal in five playoff games for the Blues this season. (CP Photo) |
- Suspended for the first time during the 2001-02 season by
New Jersey for refusing to report to the Albany River Rats
of the American Hockey League.
- Danton won an Ontario Hockey League championship with the Barrie Colts in 1999-2000.
- Drafted 135th overall by New Jersey after scoring 87 points in his final year of junior hockey with Barrie.
- Danton amassed 179 points in 141 games over three Ontario Hockey League seasons with Sarnia, Toronto and Barrie.
- At the 2000 Memorial Cup, Danton slammed Rimouski Oceanic star centre Brad Richards, suggesting the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player wouldn't last five games in the Ontario league. A top-six forward with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Richards finished tied for ninth in NHL scoring this season with 79 points.
- Part of an eight-player Ontario Hockey League trade on Jan. 11, 1999. Dealt to Barrie from the Toronto St. Michael's Majors along with Ryan Barnes, Sheldon Keefe and Shawn Cation. Majors management reportedly didn't approve of the influence agent David Frost had over the players.
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Described by former junior teammates as quiet, somewhat anti-social
when it came to off-ice outings. Reportedly refused to participate
in team functions.
- Led all Ontario Hockey League players with 107 penalty minutes during 2000 playoffs.
- Drafted by the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting as a 16-year-old after collecting 28 points in 35 games for the Quinte Hawks of the Metro Toronto Junior Hockey League. Danton became associated with controversial agent David Frost, who at the time was an assistant coach with Quinte. Frost has been suspended indefinitely by the Ontario Hockey Association and the Metro Toronto Hockey League for incidents on and off the ice.
- Formed the Quinte Four along with Ryan Barnes, Sheldon Keefe and Shawn Cation.
- Danton won a bantam all-Ontario championship playing for the Toronto Young Nationals of the Metro Toronto hockey league.
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