Carey Price, goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, returned to the team after spending about a month in treatment for substance use.

Price said Tuesday that he decided to enter treatment after letting himself get to a “very dark place.”

“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,” Price said in a statement. “Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use. 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.”

Price’s leave came amid rehab from offseason knee surgery. He joined his teammates for practice on Tuesday, though between his knee and recovery work, there is no timetable for him to play again.

“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,” the goalie said. “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, 34, left the team on Oct. 7. The Canadiens have struggled in his absence. They are 3-10 and in last place in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division and are happy to see their franchise centerpiece recovering.

“It was great to see him, he’s doing well,” Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme told reporters. “For our players, we’re together every day so we have a good group of players and they take care of each other. And to see a teammate come back like that, it’s positive for the guys. Obviously while he was gone we had no news about him, so to see him again and to see him in a good state of mind, that’s positive.”

Price is in his 14th season in the NHL, all of which have been spent in Montreal. In the 2014-15 season, he led the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, made the All-Star team, and won the NHL’s MVP award. Last season, Price and the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.