You're Kidding, Right?

Any news involving Mike Danton usually has a jarring effect. Just the overall weirdness of it all.

Even when he sat down with former NHLer Nick Kypreos on Sportsnet to give his first post-prison interview a few weeks ago, his answers were strange and seemingly cooked up.

Now, St. Mary's University in Halifax has decided to join in the Danton weirdness party.

Right off the top, I have absolutely no problem with Danton attending university and attempting to get an education to improve his life. That's a good thing.

But the fact the Huskies are apparently going to let him play for the varsity hockey team is just so far out there in overall stupidity it, well, has a jarring effect.

The school claims it thought long and hard about this, and that Danton deserves a second chance.

A second chance at what, exactly? A second chance at an education? Sure. 

But a second chance at hockey? Sorry, gentlemen, he's on about his ninth chance. He's a PROFESSIONAL hockey player. Surely that should erase eligibility to play university hockey in Canada, shouldn't it? Excuse my ignorance, but doesn't 161 games of pro hockey somehow make a player still able to play in the CIS? Could Chris Chelios play for U of T if he so desired?

He's also 29 years old with a long rap sheet of misdemeanors and on-ice crimes. In junior hockey, he was a one-man wrecking crew, well, except for the times he was surrounded by the rest of David Frost's gang.

Again, let the man go to school. But let him play CIS hockey? What a dreadful decision. Is the school taking any steps to make sure Frost isn't around or involved? Are they making sure Frost can't attend St. Mary's games? Have they asked Danton, an ex-con, for a more thorough explanation of his past than was demanded on Sportsnet? Will he be carefully watched to make sure he's attending classes and actually working towards graduating?

This, of course, is also a comment on the dirty secret of Canadian university hockey. See, the one thing Danton won't feel in St. Mary's is old. The school carefully avoids listing the ages of its hockey players on its website — sensitive issue, you see — but the entire team is made up of second chances, guys who played in the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but weren't good enough to go any further.

So now they've found a place to keep playing hockey — for another five years.

The oldest player on the team, Marc Rancourt, is 25. Most of the rest of the roster ranges between 22 and 24 years of age, most in second or third year. Every single one is an ex-major junior player, including former OHLers like Cory Tanaka, Tyler Cuthbert, Cody Thornton and Ryan Rorabeck.

This team isn't much younger than the AHL Toronto Marlies, for goodness sakes. It's a semi-pro team masquerading as a university hockey squad.

So the kid who graduates high school on time and would like to attend university at the age of 18 and perhaps play for his school?

No chance. He'd be competing against players five or six years his senior.

Or in Danton's case, seasoned pros a decade older.

To me, this has always been double-dipping of the worst kind. These young men made the choice to go major junior, played 3-5 years, and are now getting another chance to keep playing in university.

So they were better than the kids of their own group, which is fine, but now they're taking away a hockey opportunity from younger players as well.

Now this Danton story. People in Canada like to look down on some of the recruiting practices in NCAA sports, laugh at the notion of the American "student-athlete."

Well check out the St. Mary's hockey team and you tell me if this is what CIS sports is supposed to be all about.

Now, because Danton can help the Huskies win, he's getting a "second chance."

Sorry, that was about six or seven chances ago.

A student? Sure. But having Danton play CIS hockey is nothing short of embarrassing, both to the school and Canadian university sport.

Comments

[JB]

Good article.

The "dirty little secret" gets even better when Canadian universty teams head south and play against the NCAA teams in pre-season and otherwise.

CIS teams with 24, 25, and the odd 28 year old (yes you read that correct) end up playing 18, 19 and 20 year olds.

Most of the NCAA players can't even drink at the bar after the game, while the CIS players visit with their children and spend their old age security cheques!

It is what it is. Fun league and good experience, but not exactly young and eager student/athletes.

Danton only brings the age issue in the CIS to the fore.

Good job Damien.

[John Richardson]

Snacker

I've been attending junior games in Brampton for over five years, know people who work for major junior teams and EVERY single player t know who has decided to go the university route went right after their junior career was over

That means they started playing CIS hockey when they were 20 or 21--or a year or two older than you. And yes, when they're finished, they may be 25, instead of 22 or 23 but so what? And if they played five years of pro hockey they wouldn't be eligible to play CIS hockey at all, so that argument holds no water. And it's a miniscule portion who go the ECHL/IHL route and then come back to school.

And like Brian, your statement that they aren't serious about their schooling is presemptuous . And to say that they are not "real student" athletes is just a further reflection of your bitterness.

My experience with older student athletes, unlike the majority of 18 year olds who think university is about keggers and getting drunk all the time is that they are, by and large, more disciplined and better students than a lot of the teenagers who, in my opinion, are taking up space from students who really want to learn and are doing it on daddy's dime. .

If you were a halfway decent Tier Two player you would have been offered a scholarship ---quite a few of them get them but it's apparent you weren't good enough. Stop whining and go play intramural.

[el]

Funny many of you have an issue with the age thing in CIS- so I guess with your line of thinking 16 year olds should not, or actually lack the ability to play with 17, 18, 19, 20 year olds in the CHL and thus , 18 and 19 year olds should not, or lack the ability to match up with the 20-40 year olds they'll meet in the NHL....Don't use the age thing only when it suits your argument, it makes you look stupid ( oh sorry, I guess you must be a varsity athlete, who graduated from a Canadian university)

[PW]

Snacker and Cox..from PEI...you guys are idiots!!!! First off about age, most CIS players start at 20-21. Each year you play pro hockey after 21, you lose a year of eligibility. The only reason Danton can play CIS is because we spent 6 years of the time between 21 and 29 in JAIL!!!! This is an oddball occurence and out of the norm. Damien you have your opinion on whether an ex con should be playing CIS hockey and thats fine, however your argument against CIS is just plain stupid. You know nothing about the student athlete's GPA's, which tend to be higher then regular students average. You say its for washed up people?? Ask Joel Ward from here at UPEI playing in the NHL. Or how about another Islander Darryl Boyce who played at UNB and is now an assistant captain in Toronto. Snacker you were obviouslly a sub par hockey player trying out against people that were recruited to play hockey and represent the school, they had to be admitted like every other student and many of them are academic all canadians. The average university hockey player is 20-25 years old...the average university student is 19-24 years old...wheres the problem?

[Jeff M]

Maybe I missed something, but I read the following on The Star website when this story was first announced:

Danton, despite his age and hockey resumé, would be allowed to play because there is no age restriction rule in place for university collegiate hockey.

Under CIS rules, each professional hockey season played after age 21 removes one year of college eligibility from a total of five years.

Danton played three years of pro hockey in all. But his first season – in 2000-01 – didn't impact his eligibility because he was only 20 at the start of the season.

He didn't play the following year, 2001-02.

In his next two seasons, with the New Jersey Devils and then the St. Louis Blues, Danton used up two years of college eligibility.

Now, having served jail time in the United States and being granted full parole in Canada after admitting a murder-for-hire plot, Danton can return to university sports with three years of play banked.

So does that not clear up the eligibility issue?

[Scott]

This column is a disaster. If Damien knew the eligiblity rules it would be quite obvious Chris Chelios is ineligible to play for U of T.

Be a 'journalist'. Look it up.

[Tim]

Damien,

You start by saying:

" but the entire team is made up of second chances, guys who played in the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League but weren't good enough to go any further."

then you go on to say:

"It's a semi-pro team masquerading as a university hockey squad."

So which is it? a bunch of guys that can't go any further in hockey or a semi pro team masquerading as a University squad? You really dont know.

Actually your wrong on both accounts. Forgive a kid coming out of the CHL for taking his school package and putting it to good use on an education and then going to play semi pro after he has an education.

You know nothing about this league, the calibre of players or the coaches in it so stick to writing about something you know about......nothing!

Plenty of talented players have come out of the AUS and gone on to professional hockey careers...they chose school first and good on them for doing so. How old are the players on the Saskatchewan Huskies or the Ontario teams? Wake up bud, do some research first next time. Its the CIS, deal with it.

[Chris Cathcart]

I just noticed this artice today - 2 weeks later! Want to add a comment - I agree totally with your comments on Danton and St. Marys. Not sure why St. Mary's feels they owe it to him to let him play on the team. I'm sure the alumni are outraged.

To a degree, I agree with your second point about the age of CIS players. Allowing ex major Junior players to play is ok, as long as they are 20 or under. This is no different than what the NCAA is doing. Not many US graduating high school players are making the jump to Divsision 1 NCAA hockey anymore either. Most are taking an extra year in the US Hockey League and entering university at 19 or 20, so if you examine the rosters of US school teams you'll find that the age of US college teams has increased over the past few years. A former coach at my alma mater ( Dave Poulin) told me 8 years ago that legitimate high school seniors (18/19) have little chance of making Divison 1 rosters anymore without an extra year of Junior somewhere. So they come out of high school and play another year of junior.

However, where Canadian schools err I believe is allowing ex pros to come back to school and have 5 years of eligibility regardless of their age or how many years of pro they played. I think they should be allowed to play if they come back to school, but their eligibility should be limited to 2 years or perhaps they lose a year of eligibity for each year of pro played. This would probably cap the age of players at 25.

I know that we are smug about our schools vs "theirs' but don't forget that the Hobey Baker winner last year - Matt Gilroy was 25 when he won.

Chris C

[Brian]

I agree with you Damien, it seems that University hockey is becoming a beer league now. Danton does deserve a chance but at this level I do not agree, the best league for him would be the East Coast League and if he is good well who knows. My worry is the kid who looses their chance to play University hockey because ex pro's or ex junior league players that cannot play in juniors or are not good enough for the NHL are taking their spots.
University hockey is for no pro's bottom line, that is why I would prefer my own son to play in the US college system. There is nothing wrong the University education in Canada probably on of the best in the world but the sports programs have much to be desired.

[CLE ROX]

Completely laughable that a former professional hockey can return to college and play hockey again. This the same organization that consistently loses quality Canadian student-athletes to The USA due to its strict rules regarding scholarships.

[Barry McDowell]

I cannot believe your stance Damien. What is this, the world according to you? If we accepted what you say there would be no freedom of choice for anyone doing anything. Your article is a joke. Mr. Danton is a free person, free to make the choices we all make on a daily basis. If he is qualified to play then there is nothing to stop him. Your journalism reminds me of Ron McLean!

[Mark]

In addition to keeping older students out of university sports because of their experience, why not keep them out of the classroom too? After all, we don't want a person with work experience doing better in class and getting higher grades and scholarships. Think of the poor 18 year old freshman with no work experience who has to compete against them. Or does your logic only apply to fun things in university, like sports, and not to serious things like study and edcuation? :-)