Scott Darling's new mask shows Chicago is his sweet home

Scott Darling loves Chicago. He grew up around the Windy City, born in Lemont, Illinois. And playing for the Blackhawks has been sort of a dream come true. And now that he’s basically cemented himself as the team’s backup, and has a new contract for the next two years, he’s repping Chicago big time with his new mask.

The above photo … and below. (S/t InGoal Magazine)

So. Much. Chicago. Don’t. Know. Where. To. Start.

Let’s let Darling tell us about this mask, because he’s a native and gets this stuff better than we do, along with Chicago-bred mask designer Jason Livery.

“You see the Portillo’s hot dog on there, the movie references and that’s just a fraction of the things you could chose to do on there and I think it turned out great the way he portrayed it,” Darling continued “Maybe some younger kids won’t know much about the ‘Blues Brothers’ or ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,’ but that’s nothing a Google search can’t fix.”

This is clearly a big deal for Darling, who is the Masterton Trophy nominee from the Professional Hockey Writers' Association's Chicago chapter.

“That mask is so Chicago; I am going to have it the rest of my life and put it on the mantle when I am older, just to remind me of my days playing for the Blackhawks,” he said. “It’s going to be a great piece of memorabilia for me.

And the front:

He’s enjoying the NHL. And he loves Chicago. If you’re going to make a mask may as well go big for your hometown team. Bonus that you also play for said hometown team. Plus, major props for getting all major landmarks from the third-biggest city in the United States in a mask.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper

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