REWIND: Rookie Darling Thrust into Spotlight in Game 1 vs. Nashville

By the time the Blackhawks began the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they were old pros at the second season.

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who was returning from injury in time for Game 1 of the First Round series against Nashville, were each two-time Cup champions and Conn Smythe winners at the ripe ages of 27 and 26, respectively.

Duncan Keith, a soon-to-be Conn Smythe winner in his own right, patrolled the blue line with Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson yet again. Veterans like Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp were looking for a third ring.

Young, established talent in Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad and Corey Crawford were each in search of a second following a pair of deep runs into the postseason early on in their careers. Plus, there were new faces like Brad Richards and Antoine Vermette, already into double digits in NHL seasons.

And then, there was Scott Darling.

"I'm happy that I was so young and didn't realize the magnitude of the situation I was stepping into," he reflected this month from his Chicago home, a short trek from the United Center.

When the playoffs began, the rookie netminder was settling in for what he thought would be a front-row seat on the bench to a hopeful Stanley Cup run.

Originally a 2007 sixth-round selection of the then-Phoenix Coyotes, Darling was a rising star in goal, having more than paid his dues across the AHL, the ECHL, the CHL and the Southern Professional Hockey League after two years at the University of Maine. In the summer of 2014, when presented with an offer to sign with his hometown Blackhawks, it was a no-brainer.

"I've been a Hawks fan my whole life, still am," he said. "I had options to sign with other teams, it was like there's no question for me and I was just so thrilled."

Darling started the season in Rockford and by the second half was Crawford's full-time backup in Chicago, playing in 14 regular season games in total -- seven over the final six weeks. Nothing came close to what he was about to experience in Nashville for Game 1, though.

The Predators raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes, the third coming just 27 seconds before the saving grace of the first intermission and a chance to regroup in the locker room. Crawford's night was done and Darling led the team onto the ice for period two.

"I was terrified but also excited," he said. "Over my career that was probably one of the best nights of my life, hockey wise."

The rookie backstopped a three-goal second period from the visitors to tie the game 3-3 and stopped all 42 shots he faced in three and a half periods as the Blackhawks took Game 1 in double overtime.

Head coach Joel Quenneville turned back to Darling for the rest of the series following a Game 2 loss -- that is until the roles were reversed early in Game 6 with Chicago holding a 3-2 series lead and not wanting to head back to Tennessee for a Game 7. Darling allowed three goals in the opening 11:16 that night and his postseason work was complete.

"I actually asked the coaches later, 'Were you going to start him (Crawford) Game 1 against the Minnesota?' and they were like 'Yeah, obviously' and I was like 'I knew it,'" Darling said laughingly while looking back. "I would too if I was the coach or I was the GM, I would put Corey back in. He's one of the most underrated goalies in NHL history in my opinion. I kind of knew that but it was funny, we got a good laugh out of it when I asked them."

Crawford rebounded and played the rest of the way as the Blackhawks captured a third Cup in six seasons, but it might not have been such a joyous ending without the early heroics of a bright-eyed rookie.

"Ten minutes after we won the Cup, 'Q' comes up to me and says 'Don't forget about what you did in the first round,'" Darling said. "That's something I'll hold near and dear to my heart for the rest of my life."

"I'm just so happy I got to be part of it."