Former IceDogs star to speak at benefit
Former NHL player Patrick O’Sullivan will be the keynote speaker for the inaugural Spotlight Gala on child abuse Sept. 15 in St. Catharines.
Taking place at Club Roma, the event is a benefit for the Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara, which offers a safe haven for Niagara children and youth who have endured abuse, online bullying and luring, or were victims of violence.
O’Sullivan a former player for the Mississauga IceDogs, L.A. Kings and Edmonton Oilers, detailed years of emotional and physical abuse by his father in his 2015 book
Breaking Away. In it, O’Sullivan wrote about the beatings, threats and intimidation he endured — one time being locked out of the house during winter in his pyjamas — from a father who pressured him to succeed. He eventually filed a restraining order against him.
“What we were looking for was a champion who has overcome their own difficult childhood,” says Janet Handy, executive director of the advocacy centre,
She says O’Sullivan’s story is especially timely after the 2016 Olympics, when it’s important to recognize that physically punitive or humiliating forms of practice can do more harm than good in children. In O’Sullivan’s case, many people knew what he was going through and dismissed it.
“His story is a remarkable story of resilience,” she says.
O’Sullivan was the Ontario Hockey League rookie of the year in 2002, scoring 34 goals and 92 points for the IceDogs. He was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Wild in 2003, but was traded three years later to the L.A. Kings. In his second season with L.A., he scored 22 goals.
He went on to play with the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes before ending up back with the Wild in 2010. His final NHL season was with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011-12.
Master of ceremonies for the benefit show will be Niagara comedian Joe Pillitteri.
The gala will also mark the advocacy centre’s eighth anniversary in September. The centre allows children to speak about their experiences on video, which is then forwarded to the appropriate service. Handy says “this is to reduce the trauma of repeating the ordeal.”
The centre partners with Niagara Regional Police, Family and Children’s Services Niagara and Family Counselling Centre Niagara. jlaw@postmedia.com