By Brad "Otis" Willis

Go to Sweden. Go to Toronto. Go anywhere where people know about hockey. You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't know the name Mats Sundin. Soon, that reputation will carry over from the ice to the PokerStars tables.

Hockey icon and former Toronto Maple Leaf captain Mats Sundin has just joined PokerStars as one of its international celebrity ambassadors. You'll soon see him both online at PokerStars under the name “MatsSundin” and live at PokerStars-sponsored events, including on the European Poker Tour which kicks off next week in Barcelona.

Sundin has played in the NHL for the Quebec Nordiques and Toronto Maple Leafs where he served as the longest-running non-North American captain in NHL history. He was also the first Swedish player to score 500 goals. Sundin has played for Sweden in international events, including three Winter Olympics where he won five medals - three of them gold.

A long time card player, Sundin said, “I have always enjoyed playing poker and partnering with PokerStars gives me the opportunity to challenge myself and explore the full potential of my game. I believe the fighting spirit I’ve developed as a hockey pro will really help me at the tables."

Sundin is also an ambassador for the United Nations’ “No More Land Mines” appeal and will be donating his profits earned at the poker tables to charitable and good causes.

“I am very proud to become an ambassador for PokerStars. It means I will be more able to fulfill my personal ambition of working with charities around the world and I will be donating 100 percent of the money I earn from playing poker to charity," he said. "For me, the combination of excitement and challenge in poker, plus
the potential to support good causes is a win-win situation."