Stars players stunned by Montgomery firing: 'No one expected this'

Dallas Stars players are just as confused as fans and media members alike for the reasoning behind head coach Jim Montgomery's dismissal Tuesday morning.

Despite leading the Stars to a 17-11-3 record so far this season, Montgomery was fired due to "unprofessional conduct." General manager Jim Nill didn't elaborate much during a press conference, offering that the coach was let go for "a material act of unprofessionalism." He added this didn't involve any past or current players, staff members, or a criminal investigation.

Nill informed his players of the move during a team meeting before going public with the news, according to the Dallas News' Callie Caplan, but he apparently didn't fill them in on the specifics behind Montgomery's abrupt departure.

"Definitely didn't expect that one, and still shocked. It's pretty crazy that we're talking about this," captain Jamie Benn said. "We all want to know all the answers, but that's not the case. We believe that Jim Nill and the organization made the right moves, so we'll trust in them and move forward."

Leading scorer Tyler Seguin was equally stunned.

"No one expected this," he said.

"It's confusion. Shock. It's definitely sad. Really liked Monty, great coach, and (I was) saying all along, I was looking forward to this being the last coach of my Stars career."

Interim bench boss Rick Bowness will be the fourth coach Seguin has had since joining the Stars in 2013-14. In total, Montgomery is the fourth coach Nill has fired during his reign as GM.

The Stars will look for their third straight win Tuesday night when they square off against the New Jersey Devils.