Investigation Discovery’s true-crime series Game Day Murders shifted its focus to the NHL on Monday night with its second episode, “Ice Cold Conspiracy.” The installment examines the 2004 arrest of then-St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton on conspiracy-to-commit-murder charges, a case that stunned the hockey world and remains one of the most unusual chapters in franchise history.
Executive produced by Shaquille O’Neal and hosted by veteran sports broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak, the six-episode series explores high-profile crimes connected to professional and college athletics. “Ice Cold Conspiracy” premiered August 3 at 10/9c on ID and is available to stream on HBO Max.
Danton was arrested April 16, 2004, at San Jose International Airport, just one day after the Blues were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the San Jose Sharks. Federal authorities charged him with conspiracy to hire a hitman. Court documents and subsequent reporting established that Danton had enlisted a young woman he knew, Katie Wolfmeyer, to help arrange the killing of an acquaintance for $10,000. The intended target, according to prosecutors, was his longtime agent and mentor, David Frost. The would-be hitman was actually a police dispatcher who cooperated with the FBI.
Danton pleaded guilty in July 2004 and was sentenced that November to 7½ years in federal prison. He served the majority of his sentence in the United States before transferring to Canada and was released on parole in 2009 after approximately 63 months. Wolfmeyer was later acquitted.
The relationship between Danton and Frost has long been the subject of scrutiny. Frost, who coached Danton as a junior and later became his agent, exerted significant influence over the player’s personal and professional life. Later accounts, including a 2005 CBC Fifth Estate documentary, detailed a controlling dynamic that isolated Danton from his family. Frost has denied being the intended target; Danton later claimed the real target was his estranged father. Recorded conversations and court records have kept the questions surrounding motive and influence unresolved for more than two decades.
For Blues fans, the episode carries particular weight. Danton had been acquired from the New Jersey Devils and was in the midst of establishing himself as a physical presence on the roster when the arrest occurred. The timing—immediately following a playoff exit—turned a routine off-season into a public relations and legal crisis for the organization.
Game Day Murders uses archival material, interviews, and Czarniak’s steady narration to place each case within the broader culture of elite sports. Promotional materials for the series noted participation from former players close to the events, including an interview with Joe Goodenow, a former professional hockey player and teammate. The approach emphasizes both the human cost and the structural pressures—intense competition, isolation, and the outsized role of agents and mentors—that can contribute to personal unraveling.
Episode 1 focused on the murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the resulting NCAA scandal. Subsequent episodes will examine other sports-related cases, including those involving Lorenzen Wright, Dernell Stenson, and Sean Taylor.
“Ice Cold Conspiracy” is available on Investigation Discovery and streams on HBO Max. New episodes of Game Day Murders continue to air Mondays at 10/9c.
The series does not claim to resolve every lingering question about the Danton case. Instead, it presents the known facts, the perspectives of those closest to the events, and the lasting impact on the people and teams involved. For a market that still remembers the sudden arrest of a Blues player in the spring of 2004, the episode offers a measured, detailed return to a story that continues to resist simple explanation.
