Patrick O'Sullivan

Patrick O'Sullivan (born February 1, 1985) is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild and Phoenix Coyotes. Early life O'Sullivan was born in Toronto, Ontario, but grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His father, John O'Sullivan, a Toronto native, played for the minor-league Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. O'Sullivan has spoken openly about being emotionally and physically abused for years by his father. The abuse continued up to the time he started playing for the Mississauga Ice Dogs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Some notable acts were mainly verbal and physical abuse when Patrick had an off-game. O'Sullivan's father whipped him with a heavy leather jump rope and sometimes an electrical cord. There were also reports of John threatening and intimidating him. O'Sullivan was also sometimes locked out of the house in his pajamas during winter. The abuse escalated at an OHL game where John was screaming, cursing and pounding on the glass. The abuse reached a point where Patrick pressed charges against his father and filed a restraining order against him. O'Sullivan later detailed the abuse in a book, Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph. Playing career