Former NHL player Patrick O'Sullivan on living with an abusive father
Patrick O'Sullivan laced on skates not long after he was walking with an entire childhood spent in pursuit of an NHL career. In the end Patrick O'Sullivan walked off the ice and away from the game. He shares his story of parental expectations that turned into abuse, most of it hidden in plain sight.
"It's hard to try to have a good game when you're constantly worried about how bad you were going to get hit after the game."- Patrick O'Sullivan, former NHL player
As a young man, former NHL player Patrick O'Sullivan lived a life suffering from abuse for years. In many ways his road to hockey success is a cautionary tale about parents who strive for glory through their children.
"If it didn't stop somebody was going to potentially die. I didn't know which one of us it was going to be but something real bad was going to happen."- Patrick O'Sullivan on the abuse at the hands of his father
Now Patrick O'Sullvan is telling that story in his powerful new memoir "Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph". He joined Anna Maria in our Toronto studio.
This segment was produced by The Current's Howard Goldenthal.