The Saint Mary’s Huskies will be losing some key players in the off-season, but ex-NHLer Mike Danton isn’t expected to be one of them.
The 29-year-old Danton played a key role in helping the Huskies capture their first University Cup as the top team in Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s hockey, putting a six-year absence from the game behind him and scoring 11 goals in 19 games after enrolling in school in January.
Danton, who is on parole after serving five years in prison for plotting to murder his agent, plans to take summer courses at Saint Mary’s in pursuit of a sociology degree. Head coach Trevor Stienburg sees Danton in the lineup again next fall.
Stienburg, who called giving Danton a second chance the best decision he has made in his life, said Danton is just getting started in his rehabilitation.
“It’s a long process and it’s not over — it’s a journey for him,” Stienburg said.
But he’s off to a good start, and not just on the ice, according to Stienburg.
“The kid gets in the morning every day and he’s happy,” he said. “He’s going a different route in his life and he’s probably never been involved with such a good group of people. I think it’s making a difference in his life, and his intensity and his passion definitely inspired our guys.”
The Huskies will lose former national player of the year Marc Rancourt as well as all-star sniper Cody Thornton and foot-soldiers Chris Morrison and Scott Brophy.
With two straight Atlantic titles under their belt and now a national title, the Huskies appear positioned for future success.
“I haven’t even thought about it,” admitted Stienburg, “but we’re going to keep our foot on the gas.”
