Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price released a statement Tuesday after rejoining the team following his voluntary participation in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

"Over the last few years I have let myself get to a very dark place and I didn't have the tools to cope with that struggle. Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use," he said in an Instagram post. "Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do, and it was what I needed to do.

"I am working through years of neglecting my own mental health which will take some time to repair; all I can do is take it day by day. With that comes some uncertainty with when I will return to play.

"I appreciate all of the overwhelming support and well wishes. I please ask that the media and our hockey community continue to respect our privacy at this time. Your support and respect of this so far has been a critical piece to my recovery."

Price missed all of training camp while recovering from offseason knee surgery and entered the player assistance program on Oct. 7.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme laid out the conditioning steps for Price's potential return earlier on Tuesday, according to TSN's John Lu.

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