In his new book, Breaking Away, O’Sullivan has come out about his early childhood. His father, who hadn’t made it past the minor leagues, put all his energy into beating O’Sullivan, waking him up early, pushing him up against cars after games and even getting into fights with other parents at the rink.
“[My courage] came from my love of hockey-even though I had been dealing with everything because of hockey,” O’Sullivan said. “I loved hockey more than I hated what was happening to me.”
His passion for hockey was also detailed in “Black and Blue,” a piece that he wrote for the Player’s Tribune.