This weekend, the world of professional hockey found itself entering into the gay athlete debate when the FBI charged St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton with ordering a hit on a man the bureau says was Danton’s boyfriend. Danton, 23, was arrested in San Jose shortly after the Blues lost to the San Jose Sharks and were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

According to documents filed in U.S. district court, Danton sought out the help of Katie Wolfmeyer, a 19-year-old friend, to find a hit man to kill the man who was not named in the FBI documents and only referred to as Danton’s “acquaintance.”

Danton and Wolfmeyer appeared in court on Monday, April 19, and were charged with conspiring and using a telephone across state lines to set up a murder. Federal agents say Danton made up a story to enlist Wolfmeyer’s help, telling her that a man had been hired to kill him over an outstanding debt, and he wanted to take the man out first, offering $10,000 for the hit. The man Wolfmeyer put Danton in touch with went to police and agreed to record a conversation with Danton to set up the hit.

“When the thing goes down, I don’t want to know anything about it,” Danton told the hit man, according to the FBI’s filings.

“I’m pretty much begging,” Danton said. “I wouldn’t resort to this if it wasn’t a matter of life and death… The only way that I’m going to be able to sleep tonight is knowing that the guy trying to kill me is done himself.”

According to FBI documents, Danton wanted the intended victim murdered at his St. Louis apartment in a way that made it look as though he was a thief who had broken in. But, when the FBI went to the intended victim’s home, the man told investigators that he was Danton’s lover and they lived together, a fact that at least one federal agent has confirmed to St. Louis media outlets.

The intended victim told agents “that he and Danton had a severe argument on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 concerning Danton’s promiscuity and use of alcohol.”

The man told investigators that during the argument he “threatened to leave Danton,” the FBI court papers claim.

After the FBI had foiled the plot, the man Danton wanted dead allowed investigators to record a telephone conversation between him and Danton, according to the allegation.

“[He] asked Danton why he wanted to have him killed. Danton broke down and sobbed,” court papers said. “Danton explained that he felt backed into a corner and felt that the acquaintance was going to leave him. Danton did not want to allow the acquaintance to leave him, and therefore decided to have him murdered.”

Since the arrest, fellow players have been cautious in what they say about the case, but two of them told reporters that if Danton were gay it would not have affected their relationship with him.

Blues center Doug Weight and defenseman Chris Pronger said they would support any fellow Blue regardless of sexuality as long as he were a good teammate.

“There’s rumors of what went on and who exactly was involved with this so-called thing,” said Weight. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, but you know what, hypothetically I think it would be fine. I’d like to think people are bigger than that, and look into the person as a person and as a teammate.”

Pronger said, “A lot would depend on the guy. And what kind of guy he was – if he was liked by his teammates. A lot of it would have to do with his character, more than anything. I wouldn’t have a problem with it. If that’s the way he wants to live his life, that’s the way he should live his life. Everybody has a private life outside the locker room.”

To date, no NHL player, including Danton, has ever come out publicly to say they were gay. The alleged murder plot caused several national advocacy groups to step up and challenge homophobia in hockey and the rest of the professional sports world.

“The fact that Mike Danton felt it was better to have someone murdered rather than be known as gay is a stunning statement about the depth of the homophobia that exists in professional hockey and other sports,” said Jeff Kagan, the International Gay and Lesbian Ice Hockey Association (IGLIHA) Commissioner. “We are disappointed by the failure of the NHL to address the underlying bigotry that has created the climate of fear in which Mike Danton lived and which drove him to such a desperate act.”

The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) joined IGLIHA in a joint press release calling on NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to take immediate action by instituting comprehensive anti-homophobia training for its coaches and players.

GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings, who is also a member of the New York Gay Hockey Association, added, “We are disturbed about a sporting culture in which young athletes are nurtured to believe murder is an option more attractive than being known as gay. The example this sets for young American athletes, straight or gay, is devastating and only perpetuates this professional culture of hate.”

“Based on the experiences of many of our players, Mike Danton had good reason to fear how his teammates and coaches might react if they were to find out that he had a same-sex partner,” continued Kagan. “We call upon Gary Bettman to take meaningful action now to eradicate the bigotry that pervades the league and its locker rooms.”

Formerly known as Mike Jefferson, Danton was suspended twice by the New Jersey Devils, who eventually traded him to St. Louis last June. He had seven goals, 12 points and 141 penalty minutes in 68 games this season with the Blues. He changed his name from Jefferson to Danton in 2002 to disassociate from his estranged family; he said he took the name Danton from the first name of a youth he met while working at a hockey camp. At no time in his career was Danton’s sexuality discussed publicly.