Pokerstars NHLThe WSOP isn’t the only big show in Las Vegas this month. The NHL Awards show will be coming to Las Vegas on June 18th and the team at Pokerstars has already got their foot in the door.

This isn’t Pokerstars’ first venture into NHL territory. Former Maple Leafs captain; Matt Sundin became part of the Pokerstars team in 2008. Now Pokerstars is taking their relationship with the NHL one step further.

On June 17th several NHL players will be playing in a charity poker tournament that will be run in conjunction with the NHL awards and Pokerstars.net. The tournament will be held at The Rio All Suites Casino & Hotel, right at the heart of the WSOP.

The event will be televised on ESPN2, ESPN Classic, TSN and the NHL Network. Here is a few of the NHL players who are expected to play in the event as of today (NHL.com):

Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Jeremy Roenick – San Jose Sharks
Kris Versteeg – Chicago Blackhawks
Roberto Luongo -Vancouver Canucks
Mike Richards – Philadelphia Flyers
Sheldon Souray -Edmonton Oilers
Steve Sullivan – Nashville Predators

There will also be a few NHL legends playing in the tournament. If you are a true hockey fan, you should remember names like Pat LaFontaine, Cam Neely and Luc Robitaille. All of these former players are expected to be at the charity event. You can also expect to see members of the Pokerstars team like Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and even the newest Godaddy Girl; Vanessa Rousso.

This tournament will be run in a shootout format. Once the first round is complete, the surviving players will move on and play for more than $150,000 in charity prizes. All of the proceeds from the tournament will go to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Las Vegas as well as NHLPA Goals & Dreams Fund. The players can also win an additional $2000 for a charity of their choice.