Patrick O'Sullivan, Former NHL Player, Comments on Childhood Abuse in New Book

Patrick O'Sullivan was a talent on the ice, but the former NHL player had to overcome a great deal of adversity and abuse off the ice in order to reach hockey's highest level.

According to Lori Ewing of the Canadian Press (h/t Yahoo Sports), the 30-year-old native of Toronto revealed in his soon-to-be-released book, Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph, that his father, John, physically and mentally abused him as a child.

O'Sullivan wrote that his father pushed him to ridiculous lengths and attempted to justify the abuse as a means of "toughening" his son up (via Ewing):

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When I came off the ice after practice or a game, I never knew exactly what was next, but I knew it was going to be bad.

I'd be looking at an hour or two or more of my father's conditioning program, running the steps in the arena stands like a hamster on a treadmill or chasing after the van for two or three miles. If he didn't think that was toughening me up, he'd slap me around. Every year he was ramping it up: slap in the face when I was eight; a slap with more force and a kick in the ass when I was nine; a punch when I was 10; a big right hook on my jaw and a kick in the gut or ribs until I was gasping when I was eleven, twelve and thirteen.

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The six-year NHL veteran, who played for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes after getting selected with the No. 56 overall pick in the 2003 draft, also recounted his father's forcing him to eat a meal of Spam and baked beans even after he vomited it up.

O'Sullivan, who has lived in the United States for much of his life and represented Team USA in international play, explained his reasoning behind coming forward with the truth now, 14 years after filing a restraining order against his father, per Ewing:

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I think it's a story that is far too common — maybe not as extreme as mine — but there's a lot of people, parents or even coaches that think they're going to be the difference-maker in their kid making it, whether it sports or music or whatever. You do a lot more harm than you do good.

It's important because the subject involved is kids, and they don't have a voice of their own, they can't change their circumstances, someone needs to do that for them.

There's a lot of people that don't even know it goes on, it's a very private thing, "it's not my business anyways." A lot of people don't want to know because it puts them in a tough spot. They think they saw something, they're not sure, they don't want to know anymore. That's got to change.

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The idea of parents pushing their children too hard with the hope of achieving athletic excellence is nothing new, but O'Sullivan's story is far more chilling than most.

The fact he was still able to accomplish his NHL dreams after going through so much is nothing short of remarkable, and his bravery to come forward could prevent other children from suffering through the same experiences he did growing up.

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