Hockey players are known to chirp in order to get under their opponents' skin, but Alex Burrows took it too far.
Patrick O'Sullivan recently penned an emotionally gripping piece for the Players' Tribune in which he shared his awful childhoodthat saw his father physically abuse him on a daily basis to, in his mind, mold his son into a tougher hockey player. Win or lose, the former NHL center would get beaten by his dad before and after every game.
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The physical abuse occurred at home, at the rink and even in the car, and O'Sullivan recounted how he one day fought back, leading to the cops getting involved. When he was drafted, he even had NHL security on hand to make sure his father wouldn't intervene.
While O'Sullivan's past wasn't general knowledge, word got out about his history of abuse around the league. Burrows, a pest for the Canucks, was the only person to ever use the NHL journeyman's past against him as a way to get under his skin on the ice, according to a series of tweets by O'Sullivan.
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@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
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
Burrows, 34, has been with the Canucks since the 2005-06 season, while O'Sullivan made rounds with the Kings, Oilers, Hurricanes, Wild and Coyotes in his career, which spanned from 2006-12. After the comments came to light, Burrows issued a public apology, following a 2-0 loss to the Flyers on Thursday.
"I apologize if I offended him back then," Burrows said, according to the Vancouver Sun. "Especially when I first came in (to the NHL), I was playing six or seven minutes a night on the fourth line and I wanted to help any way I could. And if I could get one guy off his game and get in someone's kitchen, I was willing to do it to help our team or maybe get (us) on the power play. He was a great player. He was one of those guys who could score a lot of goals. He was flashy, he had good hands."
Burrows also said he "wouldn't cross that line now," and while chirping is a huge part of the game, some may believe that the Canucks winger took it way too far. Burrows may claim to be playing a less aggressive game with his tongue, but he drew the ire of Devils forward Jordin Tootoo last month for undisclosed comments.
