The hockey world was both shocked and confused when the Dallas Stars terminated head coach Jim Montgomery with no real explanation on December 10th.
In the days and weeks following Montgomery's dismissal, more pieces of this complicated story came to light and it became more clear that Montgomery was relieved of his duties due to off-ice issues involving alcohol abuse.
Montgomery confirmed it when he released his statement, admitting that he had a drinking problem and expressing his gratitude to his family and friends who have encouraged the former bench boss to get help.
On Tuesday, Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Stars GM Jim Nill had raised concerns with Montgomery long before the situation reached the point of no return.
According to the report, Montgomery was a regular at one of Stars owner Tom Gaglardi's restaurant and bars, Moxies, inside one of the high-end hotels near the American Airlines Center, called "The Crescent".
During the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, Montgomery could be seen at the establishment, drinking in large quantities, much too often. The optics simply are not good when you're out getting plastered at a bar owned by the man whose payroll you're on.
When the General Manager needs to step in, it's pretty safe to say you're out of bounds and should probably fall back in line to avoid the situation escalating to a point where your job is in jeopardy.
Knowing then what we know now, it's even more shocking that Montgomery didn't take the necessary steps to make some positive changes in his life and salvage his relationship with the Stars organization before it was too late. But that's the thing about addiction. It tends to rob you of all common sense and logic, and every moment of sobriety is actually a countdown until the next drink or dose.
Regardless of how it all unfolded, Montgomery is now receiving treatment for his illness and we wish him all the best in his recovery.
The Stars have been under the tutelage of interim head coach Rick Bowness since Montgomery's dismissal. They have won 7 of 11 games under Bowness and are enjoying another strong season, with a 24-14-4 record.
Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
