In his five NHL seasons, Scott Darling won 112 games with the Blackhawks and Hurricanes and won a Stanley Cup in 2015.
He also very publicly shared his struggles with alcoholism during the early days of his career as he tried to rise up the ranks.
Looking back, Darling, who has since retired from pro hockey and transitioned into a career as a stand-up comic, does not believe he received the proper help from the NHL/NHLPA assistance program.
“F–k them,” Darling said on ALLCITY Network’s “What Chaos” podcast on Tuesday. “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.”
In recent seasons, high-profile NHLers like Carey Price and Bobby Ryan have entered the league’s assistance program, while Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard cited issues with anxiety, depression and alcohol abuse upon entering last week.
Darling, whose drinking got him kicked off the University of Maine team as a sophomore and ended with a rock-bottom moment in the SPHL in 2010, said he was imprisoned in an attempt to break his contract.
“You need people who actually want to help the players,” the 34-year-old 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?”
Darling’s experiences came with a warning.
“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,” he said. “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.”