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OTTAWA - A former NHL agent who was the target of a murder-for-hire plot by one of his players faces several sex charges in eastern Ontario.
David Frost has been charged with 12 counts of sexual exploitation and one count of assault, all related to incidents from 1995 to 2001 involving four boys and three girls between the ages of 14 and 16. The charges follow a two-year investigation by the Criminal Investigations Branch of the Ontario Provincial Police.
Frost represented former St. Louis Blues forward Mike Danton, who's serving a 71/2-year sentence in a New Jersey prison for his role in a $10,000 plot to kill Frost, who was also his Canadian youth hockey coach.
Ottawa lawyer Michael Edelson, who represents Frost, said late Tuesday he had spoken to his client twice that day and would issue a statement in the next 48 hours.
Police refused to say whether the teens were involved in hockey and wouldn't provide any details of the incidents, believed to have taken place in the Deseronto and Napanee area of eastern Ontario.
"There is currently a publication ban in place to protect the identity of the victims," police spokeswoman Sgt. Kristine Rae said.
Rae refused to say whether the alleged incidents took place while Frost coached the Tier II Deseronto Quinte Hawks junior hockey team.
Frost is scheduled to appear today in court in Napanee, about 25 miles west of Kingston.
Bruins sign Bergeron
Boston re-signed Patrice Bergeron, its top scorer from last season, to a multiyear contract.
Bergeron, 21, had 31 goals and 42 assists this past season to become the youngest player in team history to record a 30-goal season. The center has 47 goals and 65 assists in his two years with Boston.
"Patrice is an outstanding young player with a tremendous future," general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "He is an offensive threat every time he is on the ice, has great defensive instincts and he plays a physical game without taking a lot of penalties."
Bergeron, picked 45th overall in 2003, agreed to a five-year contract worth $23.75-million, with an annual cap hit of $4.75-million, the Boston Globe reported. Bergeron will make $3-million in 2006-07, $5-million in years two through four, and $5.75-million in 2010-11. Bergeron earned $646,000 in 2005-06.
Is Crosby the captain?
Now that Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux has retired again, Pittsburgh is moving on behind another big star.
General manager Ray Shero and coach Michel Therrien must decide whether 19-year-old Sidney Crosby, the team's best player and the face of the franchise, should wear the "C" as the team captain at the Oct. 5 opener against Philadelphia.
Other possible choices include forwards Mark Recchi and John LeClair. But they are not the big scorers they once were, and both have spent most of their careers with other teams.
Crosby said he wouldn't turn down the "C" but won't campaign for it.
"If one day whoever makes that decision decides they'd like me to have it, it would be a huge honor," said Crosby, designated by Therrien as an alternate captain immediately after he was hired in December.
"But, at the same time, it's something you have to earn. That's not something you take lightly. For me it's my second year, so it's not something you're thinking about. I'm working on improving myself as a player and a person, and that's all I really worry about."