It's been a month and a half since Scott Darling was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, and that's also how long it's taken the former Blackhawks netminder to formulate his thoughts to say a proper goodbye to Chicago.
And it was worth the wait.
In a lengthy, emotional piece written for The Players' Tribune, the Lemont native opened up about getting his life back on track after hitting rock bottom, his journey to the NHL, and getting a call from his agent on the day of Darling's three-year anniversary of sobriety saying that there's a deal in place to sign with his hometown Blackhawks, only to win a Stanley Cup with them 11 months later.