Ivan Demidov could lose his driver’s license

Ivan Demidov is currently injured. And let's just say that's not his only problem.

According to a report by journalist Camille Payant (Journal de Montréal) this afternoon, Ivan Demidov is likely to lose his driver's license soon.

Why? Speeding is to blame.

Last Friday, a lawyer appeared in court to represent him. The goal? To ask a judge to cancel the payment of a traffic ticket he received this summer.

Basically, the Canadiens' director of player safety, Mitch Janhevich, paid the fine in July. And the player's motion states that this was a mistake.

Ivan Demidov (who swears he wasn't driving 111 km/h in a 70 zone this summer) understood, from his exchange with the police officer at the time, that he wouldn't lose his license.

The problem? Demidov has a probationary license—and therefore four demerit points. The second offense cost him three points… even though he had only one point left on his license.

A speed enthusiast, Demidov risks losing his license https://t.co/UcKG5w16xD

— Le Journal de Montréal (@JdeMontreal) October 14, 2026

During the Olympic break—a few months earlier—he lost three points for driving 145 km/h on the highway toward Trois-Rivières.

It's therefore only a small step to conclude that the player is arguing that his second ticket was paid by mistake, so that it wouldn't be perceived as an admission of guilt.

“Since that first payment had no apparent impact on Mr. Demidov's license, I treated the ticket from July 21, 2026, in the same way—as a mere administrative formality.” – Mitch Janhevich

If found guilty, the Habs player would lose his license until January because he would have no demerit points left.

For now, the withdrawal of the guilty plea has been authorized, which means the Russian player could keep his license until a verdict is reached by the Montreal Municipal Court.

Update

So this is a story to watch. But let's just say the Canadiens must figure they have other fish to fry.

That said, it's not as bad as if he had to deal with Alexander Ovechkin's traffic violations. That's a whole different ballgame.