Former NHLer Patrick O'Sullivan reveals childhood of physical, emotional abuse

Former NHL forward Patrick O'Sullivan has opened up about his abusive childhood in a new memoir.

The 2003 second-round pick of the Minnesota Wild revealed the physical and emotional damage done by his father in "Breaking Away: A Harrowing True Story of Resilience, Courage and Triumph."

"There (are) a lot of people (who) don’t even know it goes on, it’s a very private thing, ‘it’s not my business anyways,'" O'Sullivan told The Canadian Press.

"A lot of people don’t want to know because it puts them in a tough spot. They think they saw something, they’re not sure, they don’t want to know anymore. That’s got to change."

In the book, O'Sullivan reportedly described being fed dinners of Spam and baked beans by his father, who forced his son to eat them even after O'Sullivan vomited them up.

He also documents being locked outside overnight and being forced to run behind his father's van after games.

"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," the 30-year-old O'Sullivan wrote.

O'Sullivan played parts of six seasons in the NHL, with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, the Wild, and the then-Phoenix Coyotes, scoring 58 goals and notching 161 points in 334 career games.

O'Sullivan, who last played for Helsinki in Finland in 2012-13, said he's still bothered by his past.

"If you push a kid really hard, and then they decide to stop playing, I think a lot of people think it’s over then, but it’s a life-long thing, and it’s day to day," he said.

"For me, each day, things happen and now I’m at the point where I can recognize the triggers. Kids that are abused, it doesn’t go away when they become adults."

O'Sullivan said he's starting to turn a corner.

"I’m just starting to feel like I’m getting my life back from the game of hockey.

"Taking control of my own happiness, that’s the biggest thing. Hockey doesn’t define me, and I didn’t realize that for most of my life because it was all I knew. It’s kind of like a new beginning for me and what I want to do next."