Former NHL Goaltender Scott Darling calls out NHLPA: ‘F**k them’
Former NHL goaltender Scott Darling, who suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes, has come out of the shadows to take a massive shot at the NHLPA.
Darling tended the net for the Blackhawks and Hurricanes in his five seasons in the NHL. One of those seasons–in 2014-15–Darling was a part of the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks squad.
But success wasn’t the only thing Darling saw in his NHL career. The now 34-year-old retired goaltender struggled with alcoholism early on in his career. With his struggles, Darling entered the NHL player assistance program, and safe to say, Darling wasn’t the program’s biggest fan. Now Darling has called them out for their assistance.
“F–k them,” Darling said on ALLCITY Network’s “What Chaos” podcast this week. “I’ve told players — what I went through — if you need help, do it on your own. Don’t ever go through the PA. And I’ll say that honestly, I hope you guys fucking hear this: they’re monsters. Go somewhere else. They can hold you, like, try and break your contract, stuff like that.
“They’re really bad people. If you’re a player listening, go on your own, don’t ever go through the PA to get help if you have an addiction problem or something like that.”
Other players like Colorado’s Samuel Girard most recently entered into the NHLPA program due to mental health issues.
“I have made a proactive decision to take care of my mental health and will be entering treatment for severe anxiety and depression that has gone untreated for too long and led to alcohol abuse,” Girard said through CAA agency via statement. “Taking care of your mental health is of the utmost importance, and I encourage everyone to speak up and seek help should you feel like you need it. I want to express my gratitude to my wife, family, friends, the club, my teammates, and the fans for their patience, understanding, and continued support.”
Darling claimed it became a trust and care issue in the program, saying the people in the program don’t actually want to help the players.
“You need people who actually want to help the players,” Darling said. “There have been tons of players who have had to go through a program or anything like that. If you can’t trust the people who are trying to help you, why the f–k would you go through there?”
“I’m not going to talk about the nightmare situation I had on here, but I will say, if any players are listening: go by yourself,” Darling added. “You have insurance, go outside, don’t let anyone in the NHL know you’re doing this. You get graced leave … don’t go through the PA… they’re terrible people.”
Darling ultimately retired in 2021, ending his professional hockey career. Now, in 2023, Darling has followed up his career with a new profession in standup comedy.
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