Former NHL player convicted of conspiracy to commit murder cleared to play for Saint Mary’s

Danton OK’d to play college hockey in Canada

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Mike Danton, the former NHL player convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, has been cleared to play for Saint Mary’s University.

Correctional officials allowed Danton, who lives in Toronto and has been given full parole, to make the move, school athletic director Steve Sarty said Wednesday.

“When he lands here it’s going to be a bit of an abnormal situation, so we just want to make sure he’s comfortable and has some sense of normalcy,” Sarty said.

The CBC reported late Wednesday that Danton had arrived in Halifax and could begin classes as soon as Thursday. Danton’s intention to play college hockey at the age of 29 has sparked debate about the need for further eligibility restrictions.

Current rules set by Canadian Interuniversity Sport allow him to play varsity hockey for three years. Unlike CIS football, hockey is not restricted by age caps.

Danton isn’t the first NHL player to step back into university ranks.

Jared Aulin played 17 games with the Los Angeles Kings before joining the University of Calgary Dinos for the 2007-2008 season. He has since returned to pro hockey and is playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL.

Danton has completed some correspondence courses from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and has enrolled in three sociology courses at Saint Mary’s.

A return to the NHL is unlikely because his criminal record would prevent him from returning to the United States. He scored 10 goals in 92 games with the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils.

Convicted in 2004 in a murder-for-hire plot, Danton was released from a U.S. prison in March. He returned to Canada and was granted full parole last September after admitting to the National Parole Board the target of the plot was his father.