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):
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 ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Mike Chiari