Ex-NHL, “bad guy” Mike Danton leaves Atyrau hockey club

By Murat Sultangaliev

Mike DantonOn December 18 sport websites of Kazakhstan published the Twitter message of the former forward of Atyrau regional ice-hockey team “Beibarys” Mike DENTON: “In Kazakhstan the players are treated like shit”.

“The rumors are that some other legionaries will leave Kazakhstan. That happens when you are corrupt and you treat your players like shit. What right does the president of an ice-hockey team have for taking away 30 % of the players’ monthly salary? The contract terms are contract terms, but obviously not in Kazakhstan”, - wrote in his page in Twitter the hockey player. However, the biography of the author is such, that you don’t very much trust his words.

The Canadian Mike Denton played in “Beibarys” Atyrau hockey team since the beginning of the current season. In the championship of Kazakhstan 33-year-old forward played 25 matches, where he had 15 points (4+11) as per goal+pass system.

From 2000 to 2004 he played 92 games in NHL. Currently he plays for the Romanian club “Chiksereda” from the city of Merkurya-Chuk.

Mike Denton's claim-free note to “Beibarys” hockey club In November, 2004 Mike Denton was sentenced to seven and a half years of imprisonment for alleged hire to murder his agent David Frost, who threatened Denton to report to the management of “Saint Louis” (where Denton played) about his use of strong tablets and alcohol abuse. The hockey player decided to kill his agent and hired a hit man for $10 thousand dollars. He set up a scheme so that murder should look like burglary. But the hit man decided to report to the police. In September, 2009 Denton was released early on a condition. In 2010 he returned to ice hockey and played in St. Mary's University team.

“Beibarys” hockey club rep with regards to Denton's statement said the following: “Mike Denton explained that the reason for his early departure and termination of the contract was that his child couldn’t adapt to Kazakhstan. When he was leaving, he thanked the club. He received his salary in full and left the note that he has no financial claims to club. The club withheld 11 thousand tenge from his salary for incorrect behavior, but the club didn’t want to talk about the details of that incident.