Darling pinching himself with call from Hawks

Scott Darling's weary smile and man-oh-man head shake following Blackhawks practice Wednesday morning said it all.

That's because the native of Lemont was still struggling to believe that what happened 24 hours earlier … actually happened.

Things began benignly with Darling and his Rockford IceHogs teammates hitting the ice for a routine 11 a.m. practice Tuesday morning in Toronto.

Then someone hit the purée button.

"We were practicing up in Toronto and we got off the ice and they told me I need to get on a plane to Chicago," the 25-year-old goaltender said.

"I only really had a chance to call my parents before I got on the plane. I told my parents, 'Don't tell anybody, it's not public knowledge yet.' "

Once his plane hit terra firma in Chicago, however, all that had changed.

"By the time I landed, I turned on my phone and it didn't stop vibrating for about a half an hour," the lifelong Hawks fan said with a smile. "All these people wanted to weigh in and congratulate me on making it here.

"It was nice talking to all of them because I know they played a big part in me getting here."

True, but it was the 6-foot-6 Darling's play between the pipes in training camp and the preseason that turned a lot of heads - particularly coach Joel Quenneville's - and eventually got him the call to serve as Antti Raanta's backup until starting goalie Corey Crawford recovers from an upper body injury.

"First time in a regular season NHL game; it was so much fun to be part of it, to be part of the team and experience the game," Darling said. "The guys on this team are amazing athletes and being on the ice with them … it lets you know that you're doing the right thing and you're on your way."

He wasn't the only one soaking it all in. Despite the speed of events Tuesday, Darling still had a lot of family on hand for his debut in a Hawks uniform at the United Center.

"My mom, my sisters, my grandparents, aunts and uncles," he roll-called. "Most of them live around Palatine so they could make it work on short notice."

Darling, who signed as a free agent on July 1, has appeared in two games this season with the IceHogs. In two preseason games with the Hawks, he stopped all 27 shots he faced and posted two wins.

"He was excited about this chance to come to the organization, and he did everything he could to be put in this position where he's got a chance to play," Quenneville said.

And with Crawford not traveling on the Hawks' upcoming two-game road trip, might the rookie actually get a start in net, perhaps Sunday at home against Ottawa, the second of back-to-back weekend games?

"We'll address that come Sunday," Quenneville said before offering some one-word optimism. "Could."

Sunday must seem like years away for Darling, who on Wednesday was still trying to recover from a day he'll never forget.

"It was a whirlwind, an awesome experience," he said. "I woke up pretty tired today.

"But I woke up in a nice hotel in downtown Chicago pretty happy to be here."

• Follow Mike's Hawks reports on Twitter @dhspellman.

Blackhawks scout

Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena, 7 p.m. Thursday

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: WGN-AM 720

The skinny: Talk about a quick rematch. These two teams took it to overtime Saturday at the United Center before Jonathan Toews provided the heroics with a short-handed goal in a 2-1 Blackhawks' victory. In their opening game of a three-game home series, the Preds topped Arizona 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday to improve to 4-0-2 on the season. The Hawks will start Antti Raanta in net for the second consecutive game. Raanta's season debut Tuesday against the Flyers was a smash, as he stopped all 32 shots he faced en route to a 4-0 win.

Next: St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center, 7 p.m. Saturday

- Mike Spellman