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Carey Price requests continued privacy after entering treatment for 'substance use'

"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 the struggle."
"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 the struggle."

Carey Price returned to the Montreal Canadiens' practice facility on Tuesday for the first time since entering the league's player assistance program, and later shared the information he was comfortable with making public while requesting for continued privacy.

Price revealed in an Instagram message that he entered a residential treatment facility for substance abuse last month.

"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 the struggle," Price wrote.

"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."

Price called the support and respect he's received from the media and hockey community a "critical piece" to his recovery.

He exited the player assistance program on Nov. 7 after 30 days.

Price met and interacted with teammates at the facility in Brossard on Tuesday.

Head coach Dominique Ducharme detailed the steps required to return to action, explaining that the netminder would gradually ramp up activity from gym work and light individual on-ice sessions to workouts with the goaltending coach and full practices with the team.

Montreal has struggled in the absence of its all-star netminder after making the Stanley Cup Final last summer, falling to 3-10 over the weekend with a loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

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