Team PokerStars ambassador Mats Sundin

There aren't very many PokerStars players whose mere presence would get Daniel Negreanu geeked out, but Mats Sundin is sure one of them.

Sundin, the 37-year-old PokerStars ambassador, is a legend both in his native Sweden - where he captained the Swedish Olympic team to ice hockey gold in 2006 - and in Canada, where for 14 years he led the National Hockey League's Toronto Maple Leafs, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in goals and points scored.

Sundin is currently taking a time-out from hockey as he reevaluates his career and in the meantime serves as one of a number of pro athletes representing PokerStars online and at poker tournaments around the world.

PokerListings.com talked to Sundin about his newfound hobby.

Good to talk to you, Mats. You became a PokerStars ambassador this September, at a time when hockey fans around the world were wondering whether you'd suit up for an NHL team this winter. How did your affiliation with PokerStars come about?

Well, I've always been interested in poker, I think, growing up and especially playing hockey. Traveling and playing poker with the guys, poker has always been a way of relaxing and for getting away from hockey in a way, while still staying in a competitive environment and being able to have a good time.

So when I was asked by PokerStars to be an ambassador I thought it was a really cool thing to be sponsored to do, especially when parts of the money that I get from PokerStars will go to charity and the idea that if I were to win any money playing poker it would go to charity.

[laughs] But that's not going to happen for a while.

What does being a PokerStars ambassador entail?

I'm going to play in some tournaments, which is exciting, and actually will help me learn more about the game of poker and hopefully help me become a good poker player. I'm obviously a beginner where I am but it's fun to learn. It was really fun to play in the European Poker Tour tournament in Barcelona - I made it seven and a half hours, which was seven hours longer than I thought I was going to last. [laughs]

Took it into overtime!

It's fun. It's amazing how competitive it is. There are a lot of things that are very similar to hockey. When you're a competitor you really get into it at the poker table.

That EPT event in Barcelona was the biggest live tournament you'd played.

Yeah, it was fun. It was a totally new experience for me and I was probably as nervous going into that tournament as I was going into any hockey game. You're sitting down at a table where the rest of the players there are either professionals or have a long experience playing poker online or live so for me it was an eye-opener and a thrill.

I played conservative and I only played hands where I had a really good chance of winning the pot. I saw Daniel Negreanu beforehand and he told me a couple things and I just kept it simple. I didn't try to do anything complicated and I lasted for a while. It really turned me on to the game even more and it's been fun learning more about the game.

You've probably been focused mainly on your hockey career since that tournament, but have you had a chance to play any more poker in between your training?

You know what, I have been. I've been playing online on PokerStars and I'm going to play a tournament today. I've tried to learn as I've gone on here, but obviously I've been a little bit on vacation and also still debating what I'm going to do with my career as a hockey player. That's my focus.

We'll see if I'm going to continue my hockey career here - at this point in the season I haven't decided that yet, so I've been focused on that, but at the same time poker has been a fun way of relaxing from it.

You mentioned that you're going to give your poker winnings to charity. Do you have any specific charities in mind for that money?

Mats loves the kids!

I've been involved in a few different charities in Toronto. Obviously, being a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs I've been very much involved in the community and we've done a lot of different things. I've had one of the private boxes at the Air Canada Center that I've bought every year for seven years or so that I've donated to charity. It's been used by all sorts of different organizations, including Sick Kids Hospital.

I haven't pinpointed where the money that I get from poker is going to go, but I think that my heart is saying the money will go toward kids in some form.

Excellent. Let's change tacks for a second and talk about how you got into poker. You mentioned that you played with your fellow hockey players, but did you play at all before you got into the NHL?

Yeah, it's definitely something I grew up doing. I think a lot of kids grow up playing cards at some point and we did play all kinds of card games, with poker being one of them. My first time playing poker was probably when I was a young kid, you know, seven or eight years old. So it's been something that I've been enjoying doing my whole life.

Is there a very competitive poker scene amongst NHLers?

Well, yeah. You think about it, all of the players who make it to the National Hockey League are very competitive guys. As far as I know, no one's playing for any big money, but still, when you go into a game whether you're playing for fun or for money, nobody wants to lose. It's a very competitive environment.

Who are the best poker players you've come across in the NHL?

The one for sure that I remember playing against is Ulf Samuelsson. He's a real shark.

The thrill of competition!

Really?

Yeah, he is. When he was playing with the New York Rangers he was a really good player.

There are a few guys who are really good. [Former Maple Leaf] Tie Domi's a good card player too.[note: Could be those guys win at poker because they're so scary. Check the links.]

You mentioned you'd been playing poker online recently. Is that a new development or were you playing online while you were playing hockey, too?

No, actually my first encounter with online poker came after my affiliation with PokerStars. It's a great way to access a great game, I think, if you want to have a fun, good competitive hour or so online. I've found it very enjoyable.

Do you play mainly cash games or tournaments online?

Tonight is going to be the first time I've played in a tournament here, so I'm excited about that, but I've gone into a few cash games. Nothing big, because I realize the limit of my poker games, but it's been fun just to get online.

And I've played the free games on PokerStars.net too, where you play just for points. I think that's the best way to learn.

Are you a poker fan? Do you watch it on TV?

I do. I do. I watch it on TV - I mean, I never thought I was going to get to that point, but I do watch it on TV and I think especially if you're someone who wants to learn the game, you can learn a lot from watching the pros.

Do you have any favorite pros?

Mutual admiration society!

Daniel Negreanu, for sure. He's from Toronto and I know he's a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan and a big hockey fan. I've met him, too - we did a commercial for PokerStars together and he's a really genuine guy. A nice, quiet guy but obviously a real shark when it comes to poker.

Obviously there aren't many really apparent similarities between hockey and poker, but is there anything as a hockey player that you bring to the poker table that you feel gives you an edge anywhere?

Yeah. I mean, to me there are similarities, namely the competitiveness of both games. And I think you need to have a similar attitude to win. I think the competitiveness is the thing I like about the game; it makes me feel the same feeling that hockey does.

It's probably contingent on your hockey career, but do you have future plans for your poker career at this point?

It's all going to be based on what happens with my NHL career, but definitely I'm excited to be playing poker. Obviously my hockey career comes first, but we'll see what happens after that.

On that note, all of my friends in southern Ontario would kick my ass if I didn't at least ask whether you've made any decisions regarding your NHL career.

No, I haven't. I think I'm getting closer and trying to make a decision whether or not to play, so hopefully I'll have a decision in the next couple of weeks. If I want to play this year I need to make up my mind before Christmas.

Well, obviously it would be great to see you back on skates, but in the meantime the hockey world's loss is the poker world's gain for sure. Thanks very much, Mats.

It's my pleasure.

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Sundin joins former MLB pitcher Orel Hershiser and iconic tennis star Boris Becker in the PokerStars stable of athletes-turned-ambassadors and seems serious about honing his craft both on the tables and online. It's certainly to poker's benefit to have such a legendary figure representing the game, and with any luck Sundin's endorsement will mean a boatload of new Swedish and Canadian players joining their favorite hockey star on the felt, if not the ice.