I’ll be the first one to admit it, but my opinions probably don’t mean that much to people. And I’m sure people couldn’t care less about my thoughts on them or on the teams in general.
But I have to say, with the last four years at Northeastern, there isn’t a guy on campus that I respect more than NU defenseman Brian Sullivan.
Sullivan, who is entering his junior year, has been the victim of misery since joining the Huskies three years ago. In the 1999-2000 season, Sullivan played 23 games before bowing out in the consolation game of the Beanpot with a separated shoulder.
Sullivan then played the next season with relative uncertainty due to the balky shoulder, but managed to finish playing 34 of the team’s 36 games.
Working harder than ever, an ambitious Sullivan stormed into last season in the best shape of his career. But, as luck with have it, he separated his other shoulder and was done after just six games.
“I worked hard in that offseason just to make sure something like that wouldn’t happen,” said Sullivan after NU’s 10-1 victory over UConn. “But it did and I had to deal with it.”
And deal with it he did. Sullivan had surgery this offseason to repair his shoulders and he says it shouldn’t happen again.
So, as the opening game at Matthews Arena started and I looked down at the starting defensemen pair, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see him out there with Tim Judy on pair number one. But there he was, lining up for the face off. And, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Sullivan finished the game at plus-3 and he took five shots, all of which gave NU good scoring chances.
He was as sharp as anyone on the ice. He went down to block shots, he retreated on defense just like he always has, he took shots fearlessly and played 20 minutes of solid hockey.
What really impressed me about Brian was not his shifts last Friday or the veracity he took towards the game, but the way in which he handled it off the ice and the strides and dedication he made to getting back onto it.
Sullivan isn’t a guy that will whine and complain about his hardships. Instead, he simply went through another rigorous offseason training program, had surgery to, in essence, resurrect his shoulder, and worked hard on getting back into the lineup.
As if that weren’t impressive enough, I walked up to Brian on Friday night after the game and he was all smiles. As he stood, red faced with an energy drink in his hands, he gladly answered my questions, and never spoke a negative word. Instead, Brian smiled. He felt good.
“I was telling the guys in there,” he said. “We sing a song after we win a game. It’s been a long time since I sang that song in uniform. But everyone has been so supportive. When you step foot in this locker room, it’s like you have 30 best friends. Everyone has been great and has helped me through the tough times. You just have to remain positive.”
Last year was tough. After games, I would go down into the tunnels of Matthews Arena to conduct interviews with Bruce Crowder and Jim Fahey. But before any of the guys in uniform would come out of the locker room, Sullivan, in his sling, would walk into the room along with the redshirted freshmen and not really show much emotion. Still, you could tell he wanted to be out there.
Had last year been different, Sullivan would have most likely played on the same line as Fahey. Now, he’s playing with Fahey’s linemate from last year.
So give Sullivan an extra hand next time he’s introduced. This guy has worked his tail off to be back on the ice to play in front of you. He’s more than the feel-good story of the year; he’s earned the purple heart for courage. Brian, let me be one of the first to say, congratulations man, you’ve earned it.
In the locker room:
Hey, did someone say Shawn Brady can’t throw? How does five touchdowns grab you? … I watched the football team on NESN on Saturday and even on TV, Liam Ezekiel looks fast on defense. I don’t think this guy is human. The word ‘pain’ is tattooed to his arm. Whoa. … In case no one noticed, NU’s football game in Delaware was Jack Grinold’s 400th consecutive football game. Jack, that’s one for the books. Congratulations.
