From green to black-and-gold The maturation of Danielle O’Sullivan

Danielle O’Sullivan is mad. She’s furious. Flabbergasted. Livid. Irate. Infuriated even.
The 17-year-old is upset not with her present state as a member of the Muskie girls’ hockey team (with that she couldn’t be happier), but that she started playing hockey so late.
“I’m really mad that I didn’t start hockey earlier,” she said bluntly.
O’Sullivan started playing hockey when she was in Grade 9 (she’s now in Grade 12) and was thrust into a Muskie tryout by her parents.
And though she was hesitant (real hesitant) to try out at first, when she made the team and played a few games, her perspective quickly began to change.
“I was so scared and my parents made me do it, and then I made the team and I’m glad they pushed me,” the veteran defenceman said.
“But I always think about it. I watch all the little kids and I see how much better they get each year, and I wish that I would’ve started out younger, because I could’ve been a lot better,” O’Sullivan added.
But it’s not like she just watched a Don Cherry tape to learn the game, then went out and bought a $34.99 wooden stick from Canadian Tire and laced up a pair of skates from Taggs Source for Sports.
O’Sullivan had some experience heading in, albeit in the form of ringette, which she had played for five years previous to her introduction to hockey. And before that she had been a figure skater for three years.
But while the transition admittedly was awkward and scary at first, it has become routine because she’s “not nearly as scared as I was before.”
“I think Danielle’s abilities and skills speak for themselves,” said Muskie co-head coach Jim McMahon.
“To be only playing this game for four years and to be thrown into a situation where you have to go against teams like Kenora, who are very skilled and highly competitive, and to throw a Grade 9 player in there, in that situation, it would’ve been easier for Danielle to fold up her tent and just give up.
“So it speaks a lot about her character and also of her work ethic of wanting to get better,” McMahon added.
She didn’t fold, but rather built her skills as a hockey player. And now, O’Sullivan not only has become one of the top defenders for the Muskies, but one of their leaders, too.
“It’s so fun to go out there and just give her your all and try as hard as you can, because you don’t know what’s going to happen because every game is different,” she reasoned.
One thing that has been consistent for the Muskies so far this season has been the play of O’Sullivan, who sports a slapshot that she’s “always working on” and an obvious size advantage at 5’10” which she uses effectively to “take people out from in front of the net.”
“She brings a veteran presence for sure,” said McMahon. “I don’t think Danielle is a person to stand up and take command of a dressing room. She’s more of a lead-by-example person and she’s a quiet leader.
“Every team needs someone like her,” he added.
In fact, O’Sullivan has grown to love the game so much that she even is coming back for an extra year of high school because she’s not “ready to stop playing hockey yet.”
Her team isn’t ready to say goodbye yet, either.
“She’s a definite asset in our dressing room—trying to help younger players like her defensive partner, talking to her and trying to prepare her for what Danielle had to face,” McMahon noted.
O’Sullivan’s partner last year was Carly Holt, who also has been a strong figure for the Muskies on defence. This year, however, she’s paired up with the always-improving rookie, Lauren Pierce.
“When I played with Carly last year, I cleared the net and she went around the corners just because I could push people better than her,” said O’Sullivan.
“This year with Lauren is pretty much the same deal,” she added. “She’s a little too small to be moving some people, so I try to clear the net as best as I can.”
She also isn’t the only O’Sullivan on the team—her sister 16-year-old sister, Sarah, is a forward in her third year with the black-and-gold.
And though they sometimes let sibling rivalry get the best of them, Danielle would rather see her sister on the team that off of it (“Yeah, she’s a good little player,” she concedes).
The Muskies have made great strides in their play this season, though they remain winless in NorWOSSA play (0-5) despite racking up several exhibition wins against mostly U.S. squads.
O’Sullivan is not quite certain why that is.
“I’m not sure why it’s like that. I’ve been trying to figure that one out, too,” she remarked.
“We have games where everyone plays hard and then we have some games where only a few select players are trying, and that’s when we need to try all together,” she stressed.
The team did play as one last Thursday night in Kenora, although they came out on the short end of a 6-2 score against the league’s top team.
Ashley Whalen got the Muskies on the board in the second period, assisted by Hannah Firth, who netted the team’s only other goal in the third (MacKenzie Caul had the assist).
“We played as a full team tonight [Thursday],” McMahon said outside the Keewatin Arena while their yellow school bus was warming up for the long drive home.
“They played and they played hard. We set out on the bus this afternoon to do exactly that and everybody responded,” he noted.
“Again we called on our leaders and our veterans and they stepped forward, and the rookies responded,” McMahon added. “We were more as a unit and I think they’re starting to realize that they are getting closer to Kenora and Dryden and that they can play with them.
“They’re starting to believe.”
Next up for the Muskies is a tournament in Minneapolis on Dec. 27-29. They won’t resume NorWOSSA play until Jan. 4, when the Dryden Eagles come to town.
It has been four years of highlights for O’Sullivan who, as a defenceman, isn’t a “spotlight player” like the other positions in hockey. Which begs the question why she enjoys a position that gets the least amount of credit?
“I like the rough part of the game, so I figured at the defence position I could push people down and hit them in the corners, so I think that’s why I like it.
“And the slapshots form the blueline,” she added.
So, do you like pushing other people around?
“Yeah,” she answered with a laugh.
But have you ever come close to quitting?
“When we do skating drills in practice and I’m dying and I’m just like, ‘Why do I put myself through this?’” O’Sullivan admitted. “But then after when I go home, it just feels good to know that you’ve done something that will improve yourself.”
So, what drives you then?
“I always think that you just got to give her because in a few more minutes you’ll be done, and then you can go home and sleep,” she replied. “It’s not worth working so hard throughout the whole game and to just give up in the end.
“That’s what pretty much gets me going, and, of course, to win.”
Well, of course.