Blues center Mike Danton has been arrested by FBI agents on murder-for-hire charges, according to two media outlets in St. Louis.
Danton was arrested in San Jose, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, after the Blues were eliminated from the playoffs Thursday night by the Sharks.
Danton
Danton, 23, and Katie Wolfmeyer, 19, are accused of trying to hire a man to kill an acquaintance in a criminal complaint filed in federal court in East St. Louis, the paper reported. KDSK NewsChannel 5 in St. Louis reports that the official charge is using interstate commerce with the intent that a murder be committed.
The complaint says that Danton quarreled with the intended victim about Danton's "promiscuity and use of alcohol," and that Danton "begged the acquaintance not to go to the general manager of the St. Louis Blues hockey organization and ruin his career," the paper reported.
According to the complaint, the intended victim called Danton on Friday and the FBI recorded the call. During the call, "Danton broke down and sobbed. Danton explained that he felt backed into a corner and also felt that the acquaintance was going to leave him," the Post-Dispatch reported.
Wolfmeyer also was arrested Thursday night, the paper reported. Nobody was injured.
Blues president Mark Sauer told NewsChannel 5 that "it would be inappropriate for the Blues to comment on this matter at this time. There is nothing we can say except to refer this to the proper law enforcement officials. This matter is now in the hands of the judicial system."
Danton played in all six playoff games and scored one goal. The 2003-04 season was his first full season in the NHL. He played 68 games for the Blues during the regular season, producing 12 points and accumulating 141 penalty minutes. He played 17 games for New Jersey in the 2002-03 season.
When I first heard the news flash on ESPN, essentially the title of this thread, I thought to myself -- "Man, that's one hell of a sore loser! I wonder who he contracted for -- Wilson? Ricci?"
I don't want to make light of the situation. If the guy has a substance abuse problem, he probably wasn't in the clearest of mindframe anyway. And here I thought that stuff like this belonged only in the NFL/NBA.
Is just me or does this seem like a gay lovers spat? He had an argument with a male friend about his "promiscuity". Most male friends would give high fives for that. Also he was afraid of being turned to blues management and was afraid his friend would leave him? Methinks more will be revealed about this sordid little mess. He's either pretty gay for a tough guy, or pretty tough for a gay guy.
sounds more like his agent to me. he's worried his agent will take off because he's drinking, sleeping with 19 year old girls, etc. it's in keeping with the whole agent-as-cult leader thing he seems to have going.
But he said he was afraid he would "leave him"...that usually means in the romantic sense, not in the sense of an agent dropping him from his client list.
I don't want to come across as homophobic or anti gay or anything but it's fairly obvious he was afraid being outed. I'm not sure how the rest of the nhl would react to his being gay, but I'm guessing not too well. I'm actually surprised the press hasn't delved into this. I think at this stage they merely presented the curious "facts" and let the readers make up their minds before leaping to possible career ending conclusions in print. The press showing restraint, who wudda thunk it? Perhaps this is what the nhl needs, (aside from the little matter of conspiracy to commit murder) we could be the first major sport with an openly gay athelete. Now there's a HuGE untapped audience base the NHL could market to.
Just found this after I posted above;
ST. LOUIS - At times like these, you wonder if the Blues are a cursed franchise. So many tragedies. So many strange episodes. So much heartbreak. So much sadness.
There was tough defenseman Bob Gassoff's death in a motorcycle accident. Franchise icon Barclay Plager and "Monday Night Miracle" hero Doug Wickenheiser died too young. The voice of beloved announcer Dan Kelly was silenced by cancer. A former Blue, Ace Bailey, died in one of the planes that crashed on September 11. Defenseman Ed Kea had his career cut short by a severe head injury, and he drownedat age 51.
A star player, Doug Gilmour, was traded after the parents of a former babysitter filed a civil suit against Gilmour, alleging sexual misconduct.
There were personnel fiascoes with Scott Stevens, Brendan Shanahan and Adam Oates. This is a franchise that fired Scotty Bowman, who went on to become perhaps the greatest coach in NHL history. A franchise that allowed Brett Hull to walk as a free agent. A franchise that rented Wayne Gretzky for a short, unhappy time. A franchise that lured Mike Keenan away from the Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers at the peak of his coaching career, only to watch him flop here.
It's a franchise that nearly went out of business. A franchise that almost moved to Saskatoon. The Blues have teased the fans by making the playoffs for 25 consecutive years but still haven't come close to winning the Stanley Cup.
The Blues . . .
The most appropriate team nickname in pro team sports.
And now we have the bizarre case of Blues winger Mike Danton, who has been arrested for allegedly initiating a murder-for-hire plot. He was apprehended in San Jose, Calif., hours after the Blues were eliminated by the Sharks in the first round. Blues players learned of the arrest before the flight that would carry them home for another restless offseason.
Saturday morning at Savvis Center, the players packed their belongings and tried to sort out their feelings. The Blues were puzzled, upset, curious, quiet.
And, most of all, shocked.
"It's beyond shocked, really," center Doug Weight said. "I don't know what to say. I can't believe it."
This was certainly the oddest ending to a Blues season. One of their players was locked in a jail cell 2,000 miles away. His teammates stood in an empty locker room at Savvis Center and tried, in vain, to make sense of it all.
Because of the FBI's cryptic wording in its affidavit on the Danton case, there was premature speculation about the nature of Danton's relationship with the male "acquaintance"_the intended target of the alleged murder scheme. Some media outlets, including those that serve the gay community, immediately and perhaps falsely assumed Danton was involved in a homosexual relationship. And multiple sources have told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it isn't true.
Still, the FBI's phrasing led to the inevitable questions Saturday when Blues players met with the media. Weight and defenseman Chris Pronger said they didn't care about Danton's personal life. They praised him for being a dedicated, driven player.
"I don't know a tougher guy in here," Weight said. "I don't know a guy that goes in the corner and gets killed and will drop the gloves (and fight) against someone 40 pounds heavier. He'll come to you before the game and say, `Anything you need me to do for you in the game, I'll do it.' I mean, he's tough as nails."
Weight and Pronger said they'd support any fellow Blue_regardless of sexual orientation_as long as he was a good teammate.
"Let's preface it by saying who knows what the situation is," Weight said. "There's rumors of what went on and who exactly was involved with this so-called thing. Let's not jump to conclusions, but you know what, hypothetically I think it would be fine. I'd like to think people are bigger than that and look into the person as a person and as a teammate."
Pronger said: "A lot would depend on the guy. And what kind of guy he was. If he was liked by his teammates. A lot of it would have to do with his character, more than anything. I wouldn't have a problem with it. If that's the way he wants to live his life, that's the way he should live his life. Everybody has a private life outside the locker room."
But Pronger isn't naive. He's only speaking for himself. Other athletes may not be as tolerant. That's one of the reasons why no professional athlete in hockey, football, baseball or basketball has acknowledged being gay while still playing.
"To be candid with you, I honestly don't know how it would be received," Pronger said. "A lot of sports are obviously very macho. A lot of bravado. I honestly couldn't tell you one way or another how something like that would be responded to."
In the Blues' locker room, it's generally known that Danton had a troubled childhood due to a tempestuous relationship with his father. They theorize that it's caused him considerable stress along the way.
"I'm sad for him," Weight said. "He's had a hard go. And I think this (details of Danton's childhood) will all come out and help him."
The Blues have other issues. A high-cost payroll sputtered on offense that failed to produce in the playoffs. A break-up of the team nucleus is possible. A labor war could shut down the league. There is so much to worry about, so much to deal with, so much uncertainty.
And all of that could wait. The Blues' latest, sorry season ended with a player in jail, accused of trying to arrange a murder. And the dream of winning a Stanley Cup still was alive in other NHL locker rooms, but not at Savvis Center. Saturday, there was an empty space where Mike Danton usually dresses, near the far corner of this cursed team's increasingly haunted locker room
This message has been edited by coolhand_luke on Apr 18, 2004 1:46 PM
Well, we may or may not find out what was going on eventually. As for gay players, it's true there have not been any publicly "out" gay players, but there have been a bunch that were "out" on the grapevine, and on most teams. Same with baseball and football (I pretend basketball doesn't exist, but probably that, too). Baseball has had a number of guys come out after leaving the sport, but that's neither here nor there. It's really nobody's business. I think the cryptic wording of the statement about Danton is unfortunate, because it's shifted focus to his personal life. I could concoct any number of scenarios, but I'd rather wait and see what facts come forward.
Still don't know what to think. It's too early to try to guess what happened. Though it's honest journalism, I think the article makes Stephen Jefferson sound like he's abused his son.
We go to a scene in West Hollywood, at the offices of Sony Pictures . . . a production meeting is in progress.
"Sweetheart, you're gonna absolutely LOVE the concept . . . it starts with a troubled youth with an abusive father . . . we do some scenes about his growing up . . .yadda-yadda-yadda . . . we cut to the kid living the dream he had growing up . . . he's a hockey player. We have a lot of hockey scenes . . . you know, that 'Miracle' kinda stuff . . . but here's the twist . . . oh, BABY, you're gonna love where this goes . . . it turns into a murder for hire thing . . . and here's the BEST part . . . oh GOD, I just get tingles when I get to this part . . . the guy the kid wants to whack is the kid's AGENT 'cuz he's afraid he's going to be ratted out with his team about a drinking problem and -winkwink- 'promiscuity.' Whddya think?"
" . . . giddouttahere! . . . come back when you've got another o' those 'Ring' stories. I want something with some realism!"
___________
Play hard, shake hands, drink beer.
"LA needs two hockey teams like Switzerland needs two navies" -- Norman Chad (from "My 10-Point Plan to Save Gary Bettman from Himself")
"Playoff hockey is the best two months in team sports . . . period."
-- Mitch Albom
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