Former Stars coach Jim Montgomery will enter an inpatient residential program for alcohol abuse, according to a statement released Friday to The Dallas Morning News.

It was Montgomery’s first public comment since the Stars fired him on Dec. 10 due to “unprofessional conduct.”

Here is Montgomery’s full statement:

“Losing my job as head coach of the Dallas Stars last month was a wake-up call. It was also the appropriate call. I let the team’s front office, staff and players down. More importantly, I let my wife and my family down. The team’s decision to end my role forced me to look into the mirror and decide whether I wanted to continue living a damaging lifestyle or get help. I decided to get help. I turned to professionals in the field of alcohol abuse for their guidance and counseling. It has been an overwhelming and a very humbling experience knowing that I am not alone.

“Today, with the unconditional support of my wife and family, and many close friends, I took another step forward by admitting myself into an inpatient residential program, where I intend to take the steps to be a better husband, father, friend, coach and mentor – one day at a time. It’s a process I am committed to. As I do this, I ask that my family’s privacy be respected. Thanks, Monty.”

Stars general manager Jim Nill also released a statement to The Dallas Morning News Friday afternoon.

“We are supportive of this decision by Jim and we hope that by pursuing this help, he and his family will be stronger for it,” Nill said. “Out of respect for him and his family, we will not be commenting on this situation further.”

When the Stars fired Montgomery, they did not elaborate on the exact reasons for his dismissal. The team fired him with cause, The Dallas Morning News confirmed in December, voiding the remaining 2 1/2 years of his contract.

At the time of the firing, Nill said there was no criminal investigation, and that no current or former players were involved in the incident in question. Nill said there were no other Stars employees involved, and that the decision was not based on on-ice performance.

Nill said he would not discuss the incident “out of respect for everyone involved.” Stars executives have declined to comment in the weeks since the firing.

Montgomery was previously arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated in Collier County, Florida in 2008. Montgomery has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since he was fired by the Stars, according to a source.

The Stars promoted Rick Bowness to interim head coach, and the team entered Friday’s game against Detroit 6-3-1 under Bowness, including a 4-2 win over Nashville in Wednesday’s Winter Classic.

Montgomery finished his Stars coaching career with a 60-43-10 record. His .575 points percentage was the third-highest among coaches in franchise history (minimum 40 games coached), behind only Dave Tippett and Ken Hitchcock. He was the third coach in Dallas Stars history to make the playoffs in his first season, when the Stars ultimately lost in double-overtime of Game 7 to St. Louis in the second round.

Montgomery built one of the league’s best defensive teams during his 113-game tenure, when the Stars allowed just 2.42 goals per game, the second-fewest in the league. The Stars also struggled to score under Montgomery, and their 2.57 goals for per game were tied for the third-fewest in the league.

Off the ice, Montgomery was often bluntly honest in his assessments of his team.

Last season, after a January loss to St. Louis, he said he was disappointed he hadn’t changed the “culture of mediocrity” in Dallas. Earlier this season, he said the team needed more from captain Jamie Benn and center Tyler Seguin. Montgomery also twice scratched forward Alexander Radulov, once for being late and once for performance-related reasons.

Bowness is the Stars’ fourth different coach in the last four seasons and the sixth one since 2009-10. The Stars entered Friday in third place in the Central Division, on pace for a 100-point season.

Twitter: @MDeFranks