There is still a lot to worry about regarding the firing of Jim Montgomery from the Dallas Stars in December, but the most positive information regarding the situation is that the team’s former head coach has since checked into rehab for alcohol abuse.
In his first public statement Since his firing on Dec. 10, Montgomery has detailed what he called a “reasonable decision” by management, likely related to new information released Tuesday by Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Although there was a specific incident that led to Montgomery’s firing and it remained secret, Stars general manager Jim Nill previously insisted that the 50-year-old change his “off-hours behavior and relationship with alcohol” because it had become a problem.
The seriousness of Montgomery’s alcoholism was underscored by the fact that “the Dallas Stars head coach was often out and about drinking a little too much, often at the bar of the same man who signed his checks,” Engel reports.
Montgomery was known to frequent the popular bar Moxies, a venue near the American Airlines Center owned by Stars owner Tom Gaglardi.
Dallas was also reportedly aware of Montgomery’s history of substance abuse. He was arrested for drunken driving in Florida in 2008 while he was an assistant coach at the NCAA’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Rick Bowness – who had been an assistant coach for the Stars since June 2018 – took over as interim coach after Montgomery was fired. During Bowness’ time at the helm, Dallas has won seven of its 11 games.
More NHL coverage from Yahoo Sports
