SIMMONS WRITES A MASTERPIECE ON FROST/DANTON/JEFFERSON TRIANGLE

I purchased ‘The Lost Dream’ over the weekend.  That’s a book written by the very talented Steve Simmons and it’s about former NHLer Mike Danton, David Frost, and the broken family The Jeffersons.  If you are not familiar with the story, Danton (then known as Mike Jefferson) was taken under Frost’s wing as a young teenager and ended up divorcing himself from his family.  In 2004, Danton was arrested for trying to have Frost killed.  Danton has since recanted, saying he was trying to have his biological father, Steve, killed instead.

The book is a big time page turner and I read it in one day.  That’s not normal for me.  Usually, I’m so busy that it takes me months to read a book.  This one…I couldn’t put it down.  I was walking around the house reading it and stayed up super late to finish it. 

Some of the things that really struck me:  I can’t believe how much power a hockey coach can wield over his players.  I’ve been involved in hockey for a number of years, but never at a high level when it comes to being a player or a coach.  It blows my mind what a coach can get a player to do and when that power is abused, it can really mess up a lot of people’s lives.  One time, Frost allegedly punched one of his players in the face right on the bench in the middle of a game.  By the time it got to court, the entire team (including the victim) insisted it never happened.  Bob Goodenow, the former head of the NHLPA, is a complete and utter slime bag if even half of what is in this book is true.  An even greater sin is that someone along the way didn’t stand up to Goodenow and ask him what in the world was going on.  He fast tracked Frost to being an agent when he shouldn’t have been one at all.  I also can’t believe the limits parents will go to in order to try and get their son to the National Hockey League.  I think that’s one thing that, maybe wasn’t intended to shine through in the book, but really shook me. 

I tweeted Simmons on Saturday night, telling him what a great job he did with this story.  Within a short time, I got a message from David Frost, himself, telling me there will be another book released with the ‘true’ story.  He also informed me that he plans on suing Simmons for suggesting a child born to Frost’s wife may actually be, in fact, Danton’s child.  Both Danton and Frost have gone after Simmons pretty hard on Twitter in recent days. 

I commend Simmons for his efforts.  I know what it is like to hit road blocks on a major story that goes beyond sports.  I was over a year just putting together the former Neepawa players piece that came out last week.  I talked to quite a few people that would tell me all kinds of stuff ‘off the record’ and it would, probably, make you throw up if it all came out.  And, the two players that did speak were not comfortable using their names.  So, again…nice work Steve.


Footnote on this story for Junior 'A' fans:  Frost protege Sheldon Keefe is the Coach/GM/President of the Pembroke Lumber Kings.  Larry Barron, who stayed at the Jefferson home once upon a time and was also a Frost disciple, is listed as a minority owner.  Shawn Cation is an assistant coach.  He, too, was mentored by Frost.  With the cloud of uncertainty over these people, would you let your son into the care of these individuals? I wouldn't even for a day.  But, a lot have.  And, not just players hanging on for that final chance.  The Lumber Kings have won the league title all five years that Keefe has been at the head of the helm.  They've also won an RBC Cup.  Simmons says there are rumours Frost and Danton also have fingerprints on the ownership, but nothing has been proven.  Frost is also banned from having anything to do with the league the Lumber Kings play in.