Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Blog blast past: A Frosty reception in K-Town

Former hockey coach David Frost's sexual exploitation trial began earlier today in my hometown of Napanee, Ontario. It's been covered by ESPN.com. The author Laura Robinson is apparently going to be there. Not to claim any connection to this sordid story, beyond having played the odd hockey or ball game in Deseronto as a youth, but from Aug. 9, 2006, here's one of our posts about the reception Frost received when his spouse opened a business in Kingston.

So David Frost, the Rogue Agent and short-list candidate for sketchy character of the century, is apparently involved with a newly opened juice bar in none other than yours truly's adopted hometown of Kingston, Ontario. Fan-freaking-tastic. How lovely is that?

For the uninitiated, Frost is the ex-hockey agent who was so controlling and manipulative toward his clients and players that ex-St. Louis Blues player Mike Danton felt he had no choice but to try and have him killed.

According to one report, Frost isn't the owner or proprietor of this new juice bar in Kingston's downtown. Far as anyone knows, his wife is running the show.

Just like how, on paper, the Rogue Agent (the words of the investigative journalists at CBC's the fifth estate), didn't have anything to do with the Pembroke Lumber Kings, the Junior A team part-owned by one of his other "Brampton Boys," ex-NHLer Sheldon Keefe. Regardless, he was still caught by the fifth estate's cameras being around the team last season. He wasn't the owner, the coach or the general manager, but he was hanging around.

Fans who bravely came forward to talk to the CBC said he was pretty much up to his old tricks, controlling and manipulating young men through threats and intimidation. The kind of treatment you generally get when you join a cult.

This new Frost-related venture came to light through an e-mail that's been forwarded from one Kingstonian to another over the past few weeks. By the time it landed in my inbox with the subject line "slimy grease ball," it had been sent to about 100 addresses.

There's no telling how many more people might have forwarded it since then, or told people about it. Aside from leaving the names of the people and the business itself out, there's no ethical dilemma in revealing how Kingstonians feel about David Frost being associated with a business in their town. It's one man's opinion, sent to dozens and dozens of people who may be inclined to feel similar sentiments:
The 'new place' is billed as a nightclub, eatery. I have not been to this fine establishment and won't ever. I read an article in a local paper stating the proud owner is none other than David Frost's wife. The article went on to say that he has nothing to do with the business. I was downtown last night for dinner and who do I look over and see walking out of the [name of the establishment in question deleted] but the slimy grease ball himself. Interesting to see how long the business will last when people find out who is affiliated with it. (The italics and the link are in the e-mail.)
One of the initial set of recipients has told the original writer, "good call," adding "a friend of mine from work saw him (Frost) sitting in there when he went to check the place out a couple of weeks ago. he turned around and walked out. that guy gives everyone the creeps."

There's nothing to stop Frost, or his spouse, from trying to earn a living. A juice bar in Kingston has a chance to be a successful business, what with all the Queen's University students who always want to be trendy and never read the newspaper.

Still, what does the outrage of one e-mail tell us about David Frost, and what he did or didn't do to Mike Danton and his family? Danton is now in jail, his life ruined. His family, the Jeffersons, has had one son torn away from them and had a younger son essentially molested in a 2000 hazing incident where Frost apparently pointed a rifle at him. The whole sordid saga is shrouded in mystery, but Frost is there, always.

It says that the general public in the Kingston area, which unfortunately for everyone else Frost seems to have made his home base, is damn right to want to have nothing to do with anything that might bear this guy's taint.

The courts couldn't stop him, since he was tough to pin down, even though as far back as 10 years ago when he coached Danton with the Junior A Quinte Mohawks in Deseronto, Ont., people in that Eastern Ontario community knew something was very, very wrong, but were too intimidated to rock the boat.

A lack of oversight by the powers-that-be in the hockey world allowed him to run roughshod over players. Sure, there was disciplinary action and a court appearance after he allegedly assaulted one of his own players in full view of hundreds of spectators, but at the end of the day, the courts and the hockey people didn't seem to do enough.

From the time in 2001 that a psychologist turned over photos to the authorities that depicted child abuse against Danton's younger brother, it took the NHL Players' Association four years to remove him from its roster of agents. That's cold, hard fact.

The only group who could deliver something remotely resembling justice were the journalists, including but not limited to the fifth estate's Bob McKeown, a fellow alum of the Queen's Journal, Greg McArthur, then of the Ottawa Citizen and now of The Globe and Mail, Sun Media's Steve Simmons and ESPN The Magazine's Bruce Feldman and Gare Joyce (who also wrote about it for Toro magazine.)

Frost's wife is free to run her business, of course, but at the same time, people in Kingston have the power not to help it succeed by voting with their feet and refusing to support it. More than a few already seem dead-set against getting in line to sample any of the establishment's Kool-Aid, to borrow Danton's immortal phrase. Can't disagree with that for a second.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is always 2 sides to a story, I'm getting really tired of everyone potraying Dave Frost as a monster.Everyone has good and bad in them, he is no different. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met,and has been nothing but pleasant and helpful to both my husband and myself.

Anonymous said...

Yes there are always two sides to a story unfortunately anyone who has a story that involves this guy never gets to tell it.. they end up in jail for 71/2 years or so far black balled from the public that they are never heard from again. I would be interested to know if inlight of the recent events you still want to hear the two sides....I am pretty sure I dont want to hear ANYTHING he has to say and I definetly don't want to support any venture that may or may not profit him or his family. There is some truth to guilt by association so do you have a reason you would you want to be anonymous when defending someone as "nice" as you say he is ????

Anonymous said...

I have no idea who may read this, but it is with such a sad heart that I read about Frost (who is clearly abusive) because I think of his wife who I knew in high school. She was so good to me. In later years, my mom would talk to her at the local hockey game and though DF would be sitting right there he would flat out ignore them. There were rumours of abuse. If anyone has any sympathy for the players he has manipulated, consider placing that sympathy with his wife as well. If the juice bar takes off she may have new hope and security when he goes to jail. If everyone is agasint her, who does she have to turn to but Frost?

Anonymous said...

I am not sure who she has to turn to... I wonder who mike turns to everyday all day as he sits in a jailcell? hmmmmm sorry if I do not sound sympathetic but everytime I hear the poor Bridget stories all I can think about is the Jefferson family, the McCauley?? family, the Frost children, the VICTIMS and all the people who have been affected by this "plague" None of those people chose their involvement in this.. ..she did. Yeah I am sure things must be horrible, god only knows what she has seen and heard but dont be fooled people she was with him everystep of the way for the last 10 years..... Guilt by association.?????????? You decide.. I have !!!

Anonymous said...

I dont understand what all the fuss is about in regaurds to The Juice Nightclub. As far as Ive heard this dave guy doesnt even own it.....his nephew does! Dont get me wrong these allegations are serious...but why should that bar suffer? , just cause the REAL owner bears the same last name? Come on people, there is serious shit going on in this world, who cares if Dave Frost gets charged..lol.. I dont, doesnt make a difference in my life or in where I party...the drinks are cheap and thats all I care about...as long as Idont see the guy there , I dont care!
-Queens student

Anonymous said...

I'm also tired of hearing about this...Mike Danton is a friend of mine and it's screwed up how everyone is so willing to believe the crap that the media says...the same thing applies to David Frost...why is it that the people that are willing to stand up and try to make kids better hockey players (which in turn ultimately improves a kid's self-esteem) viewed as a bully? People need to stop coddling their kids because all it's teaching them is to not respect authority and yell "abuse" whenever they don't get their way.

Anonymous said...

If that last guy is a friend of Mike Danton, then why is he sticking up for David Frost?
If Frost is such a great guy then why did Danton try to have him killed?
Is loving your children "coddling"?
What Frost was doing with those kids over the years was certainly not in their best interests, more like exploitation for his gain.
His methods can't even be described as "tough love"...it's just out and out abuse of kids he had been entrusted with.
Any parent with a lick of sense would keep their kid 1000 miles from this creep.
The only one here who apparently doesn't respect authority is Frost himself.
God knows how many more David Frosts and Graham James' are out there.
I just hope that the hockey associations in this country can weed these predators out of our game once and for all.

Anonymous said...

I was very close to Bridget McCauley Frost his wife in high school. We played bball for yeays together. She comes from an amazing family..good people..

She fell in love..we can judge her for that..she has a family and is doing her best to survive..both her parents are deceased ... her brothers are distant..what do you want from te girl...

Shes a smart enough girl to get help if she is being abused or f her children are at risk..
My prayers are with her..

Bridget if you read this..

Go Royals Go!.. you were nmy favorite point guard to play with..

Anonymous said...

Here is my two cents. I played under Frost for several years.

One of the Best Coach's.

Bad Roll Model.

However, he did give me some tools in life which have helped me excel.

Thanks Dave