In October Danton was placed on parole after serving five years of his seven-and-a-half year sentence for hiring a hit man to allegedly kill his agent, David Frost, at Danton's apartment in suburban St. Louis.
Or was the intended target Danton's estranged father, as Danton recently told a Canadian television station? In any case, the "hit man" Danton hired quickly told police of the plot and the murder plot was never carried out.
After his release from prison last fall, the 29-year-old Danton stated he hoped to enroll in college and return to hockey. And that's just what happened last night.
Playing for St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia, Danton scored a goal in his first time back on the ice since 2004.
As ESPN reports this morning:
Oh, and in case you're wondering, rules set by Canadian Interuniversity Sport allow a former pro, such as Danton, to play varsity hockey for three years.Wearing No. 24, Danton jumped over the boards for the first time 2 minutes into the game, threw a big hit behind the Acadia goal and narrowly missed setting up a goal.
"I'm an energy player," Danton said. "I'm not a guy that's going to be a go-to offensive guy getting two, three or four goals a game. I play physical. My concern was, that as the game went on, was I going to be able to sustain that kind of energy?"
Danton had a number of chances throughout the game and finally connected about 11 minutes into the third period, converting a pass from linemate Cam Fergus to cut it to 3-1. The crowd gave Danton a standing ovation.
"The standing ovation and the cheers, that's just something I'm used to since I've been here because everyone's been so supportive," Danton said. "It's been almost six years since he last heard that kind of roar."
