Lemont Native Scott Darling Pens Farewell Letter To Chicago

LEMONT, IL — Scott Darling has penned a letter saying farewell to Chicago and the Blackhawks. A native of Lemont, Darling wrote an emotional and grateful farewell.

Darling was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in April, in exchange for a third-round NHL 2017 draft pick for the Blackhawks. He is now goaltender for the Hurricanes.

"My three years with the Chicago Blackhawks were better than my wildest dreams," Darling wrote in an open letter that was posted to The Players' Tribune. "When I was traded to Carolina in April, I wanted to say a proper goodbye, but it seemed so overwhelming," Darling writes. "For most of my life, I felt like I was alone. That’s part of the reason that I drank. I never felt connected to anyone, and I was always worried about what everyone thought of me. I can honestly say that every single guy in that Blackhawks room was a great friend to me, and that’s not bulls---. I truly mean that."

Darling also writes about his struggles with drinking and waking up in rehab in July 2011. At that point, he had just been released by a team in the Southern Pro Hockey League.

"My dreams were effectively over," he shares in the letter.

In July 2014, Darling signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, his "hometown team" as he calls them. Darling said he couldn't find the words to say goodbye to Chicago. He talks about his struggles with alcoholism, and how at first, it was a coping mechanism for him.

"I was an introvert, and I was so worried about what everyone thought about me at all times," he writes in his letter. Darling struggled in college, balancing hockey, being student and also partying.

"I physically and emotionally couldn’t stop drinking. If I wasn’t drinking, I simply wasn’t comfortable in my own skin," he wrote. At the end of his sophomore year at the University of Maine, Darling was let off the team. Eventually, after playing for a team in Louisiana, Darling chose to go to rehab.

"I won’t go into the details, because privacy is an essential part of the process, but I’ll say this: The experience was incredibly humbling," he said in his letter.

After playing for several teams, Darling texted one of the Blackhawks scouts he knew, and he jokingly told him he would be free to play if they needed him. Darling writes that he isn't sure if that tactic worked, but in July 2014, he had a deal in place with the Blackhawks.

"I called my mom and she just screamed. I called my dad and he couldn’t physically speak," he writes. Darling was called up to play his first game for the Blackhawks in October 2014, and the team won. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the team in 2014.

According to a release from the Blackhawks when he was traded, Darling compiled a 39-17-9 record with a career goals-against average of 2.37, a .923 save percentage and four shutouts in three seasons with the Blackhawks.

"We could count on Scott in any situation as he was always reliable," Stan Bowman, Blackhawks executive vice president and general manager, said in a release at the time. "We appreciate his contributions to the Blackhawks organization — including a Stanley Cup Championship team — and we wish him well as he continues his career in Carolina."

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