Ice hockey: the main stories of 17.09.2026

Winnipeg open camp without their first-choice goaltender, and it is the club that put him there: Connor Hellebuyck did not report, and the Jets suspended him, ESPN reported. While the suspension stands he takes no part in the side's ice work, which leaves the crease to men who arrived expecting to fight over a backup shirt. This is not a dispute that argument settles — it ends when he walks into the building, or when Winnipeg move him. Until then every pre-season sheet the club publishes will be read for what it says about the stand-off.

Latvia has shut its border to the leading goalscorer in NHL history: foreign minister Baiba Braže said on X that the ban on Alexander Ovechkin runs for an indefinite term. It arrives on the day he turned 41 and two days after the Capitals addressed his appearance in a United Russia campaign video; one outlet reports general manager Chris Patrick calling it a difficult situation for the player and saying he understands why people are unhappy. In a separate matter, Vyacheslav Fetisov accused the ISU of trying to force Russian skaters to submit after it withdrew their neutral status. And in the KHL, Dynamo came from 0-2 down to win 3-2 in Vladivostok, where Admiral paid for three minutes — Oleg Bratash said the match went in that span and nowhere else.

• Drew Doughty, 36, takes the Los Angeles captaincy from Anze Kopitar, with Artemi Panarin among the assistants, one outlet reports.
• One outlet reports Mathew Barzal will miss the Islanders' camp with a recurrence of an old injury, and is expected off the ice for about two weeks.
• Dylan Larkin misses the start of Detroit's camp with an upper-body injury picked up in off-ice training, according to interim general manager Sean Horcoff.
• Vitali Pinchuk left Nashville's first session after a hit from Zachary Wiesblatt; by all accounts he went straight to the dressing room. Single report.
• Boston signed Matthew Poitras to a one-year, two-way deal worth $850,000; he had 44 points in 69 AHL games last season.
• Chicago extended defenceman Ethan Del Mastro for two years at $950,000 a season.
• Ottawa gave goaltender Vadim Zherenko a tryout for camp after four seasons in the St Louis system.
• CSKA beat Sochi 4-0, Maxim Sorkin scoring twice — a second win in five for a side whose start has drawn comment all week, and a fourth straight defeat for Sochi.
• Lada lost 0-6 at Barys; Pavel Zubov said his team could not manage elementary passes.
• The KHL disciplinary committee, which rescinded two diving penalties earlier in the week, fined Salavat Yulaev forward Rodewald for simulation against Ak Bars, lost 3-4 after overtime.
• Sergei Gomolyako said SKA are not yet at full strength despite winning 5 of 6.
• Semyon Varlamov, out since November 2024, said he took on partial knee replacement surgery no player had returned from, and feels well.