Sully regains form in Manchester

The NHL.com frontpage ran a story yesterday on Kings phenom Patrick O'Sullivan. In case you jest have enough time here for some tidbits, here are the most interesting snippets with a word of commentary from me:

The (recent) past:

"Playing for the Kings against Colorado on Oct. 23, O'Sullivan headed to the front of the Avalanche net. Teammate Craig Conroy made a half-pass, half-shot that deflected off a stick and into the upper portion of his mouth, right below his nose. The impact blew out two of O'Sullivan's front teeth, one of which ripped out root and all. Part of his jaw was smashed, an injury that will require some minor reconstructive surgery. He needed a couple root canals, and one of the roots became infected. He was on painkillers for a month. He couldn't eat properly for about two weeks."

The present:

Monarchs coach Mark Morris was recently asked if he had 10 minutes to talk about O'Sullivan. Morris laughed and said he didn't think that would be enough time.

Morris likes O'Sullivan, no doubt. But it's now his task to turn the pure scorer into a complete player, with a particular emphasis on mining some grit. It's a message that Morris emphatically repeats over and over in practice.

The (imminent) future:

"Last year, I was able to play with a couple of older guys. I think a lot of times teams were probably more worried about them than me," he said. "I know I can score. I find if I focus on other things in my game, the (points) take care of themselves."

As do the cuts, the lost teeth, the battered bones and a mouth that feels like it was flossed with barbed wire. All that's a price eagerly paid, and a small one at that, in exchange for a character reference and possibly another promotion.

"Oh, definitely. I'd go through a lot more to get back there," O'Sullivan said. "I think most hockey players would."

Good to know he's become grittier and looks at the obstacles on the way as the learning points. Given the amount of facial injuries, I'm going to say I believe if *that* didn't stop him, he's going to be back in LA pretty soon. And for good.