The hockey world is still reeling over the horrifying and often difficult to read piece penned by former NHL player Patrick O’Sullivan for the Players’s Tribune entitled Black & Blue. In his piece, which went viral last week, O’Sullivan detailed his accounts of being physically abused by his father from a young age all the way into his teens.
O’Sullivan says his father, a low-level minor league hockey player at one point in his life, beat him almost every day since he could wear skates and also explained the helplessness of fearing to even ask for help. It is a harrowing tale of what the former Minnesota Wild draft pick who broke into the league with the Los Angeles Kings endured for much of his young life.
In the days since the piece has been written and now that he has a book of documenting his troubled past, O’Sullivan has become very active on Twitter. He’s answered a lot of fan questions and taken on some critics through his account (@realPOSULLIVAN).
On Thursday, over the course of taking questions from fans, O'Sullivan recalled a stunning piece of trash talk from noted agitator, Vancouver Canucks forward Alex Burrows. According to O’Sullivan, Burrows used barbs about O'Sullivan's history of being abused.
@TheNHLisCrazy @PuckLuck1 @BruceIsOnline @vijayk416 Burrows only guy who said he wanted to hurt me like me father did-why I can't stand him
— Patrick O'Sullivan (@realPOSULLIVAN) December 17, 2015
According to O’Sullivan, it happened on two occasions.
Right to my face, twice actually. Once in the minors and once in Vancouver early in my career. https://t.co/HmoMg8bZKp
— Patrick O'Sullivan (@realPOSULLIVAN) December 17, 2015
This is actually the second time in the last few months that Burrows has been criticized publicly for something he said on the ice. New Jersey Devils tough guy Jordin Tootoo explained an outburst against Burrows on the ice during a game against the Canucks came as a result of something Burrows said. Tootoo would not get specific only to say that the trash talk was personal in nature and involved Tootoo’s family.
Burrows denied crossing the line with Tootoo.
We know that trash talk happens and it would be naïve to suggest that Burrows is the only player who makes comments or even ones that cross the line. But this is far more disturbing than anything that tends to become public.
With the Canucks in action Thursday night, the topic was broached with Burrows after the game. He owned up to his comments and expressed regret.
Burrows says that the O'Sullivan back story is bigger than he ever thought and he apologizes now that he knows the magnitude.
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) December 18, 2015
Burrows says back in the day he would say anything to get in someone's kitchen to get them off their game. Regrets some of it now. (Cont)
— Dan Murphy (@sportsnetmurph) December 18, 2015
Burrows said he's matured wouldn't say something like that now and didn't say anything close to that to tootoo
— Jason Botchford (@botchford) December 18, 2015
Burrows has a job to do on the ice, just like everyone else. Part of his role is to make the other team hate him, lose their cool and either knock them off their game or draw a penalty. He’s good at that. But there’s a line that just shouldn’t be crossed.
Bringing the repeated, disturbing physical abuse suffered by another player as a child to the ice and using it to gain a competitive advantage is disgusting, plain and simple. It’s good that he apologized and hopefully he has matured like he said, but one wouldn't blame O'Sullivan if he had a hard time accepting that.
