Danton gets redemption, Huskies get championship

It’s fitting that the St. Mary’s Huskies would win the 2010 Cavendish University Cup off a rebound, when their whole season had been built around second chances.

After a season filled with scrutiny and high expectations, former NHL player Mike Danton couldn’t have scripted a better ending.

Although he didn’t score the overtime winner, he was on the ice as Brad Smith tapped in a rebound giving the Huskies their first national title in the university’s history.

Danton, who joined the team in January, garnered national media attention for attending the university after being released from serving a six year jail sentence for conspiracy to commit murder.

Former NHLer Mike Danton played an integral role in SMU winning it's first national title. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Dembeck.

The former NHLer was all smiles, hugging and celebrating at centre ice with his teammates at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

“This is six years of waiting,” Danton told Sportsnet after the game. “This is for everybody back home in Halifax and Ontario. Everybody who supported me everywhere.”

It was a long road back to the ice for the 29-year-old. No NHL or even minor league team would give Danton a tryout after his release from prison.

It wasn’t until contacting St. Mary’s coach Trevor Stienburg that Danton ever considered playing university hockey.

There were many questions about Danton’s reputation which kept him under a strict watch. Any violation of team policies or his parole would result in his termination from the team.

With the full approval from the university’s athletic director, along with the hockey team, Danton suited up for his first game in January.

As a pro, he was known more for his physical presence than his goal scoring, but Danton showed another element to his game as he tallied 13 points in only 16 games this season for the Huskies.

The Huskies defeated the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 3-0 in their best of five series to be crowned Atlantic University hockey champions.

After 5 years in jail, a tough season in arguably the best university league in Canada, and a hard fought Cavendish Cup, Danton can finally exhale and bask in the glory of what a second chance has given him.

Danton ranked the victory with St. Mary’s as at the top of his list for most important hockey moments in his career.

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Posted by Brandon Wile on Mar 30, 2010. Filed under News, This Week's Edition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.