NHL and Poker Together? Kind of, if Daniel Negreanu Gets His Way

As a general rule of thumb, Canadians tend to love their ice hockey, and poker professional Daniel Negreanu is certainly one of them.

The first ever WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event winner, and six time WSOP Gold Bracelet winner has long been a huge fan of the National Hockey League (NHL).

In fact, Kid Poker’s love of the league is so huge that the Las Vegas resident recently came out saying he would like to purchase a stake in any future Las Vegas NHL team.

Las Vegas is renowned for being quite a hot part of the world, so one cannot be blamed if the initial idea of an ice hockey team based in the city makes them chuckle.

However, rumours of an NHL franchise being created in Nevada’s largest city have intensified in recent weeks, and there is major support for a club in Las Vegas.

That seems to have gotten Negreanu excited and enthusiastic about owning a slice of an NHL club, something the Canadian said would be the “coolest thing ever”, according to the Toronto Sun.

While there have already been candidates to own any potential Las Vegas club, most notably billionaire business Bill Foley, there is a major chance of Negreanu holding a small share of a Las Vegas franchise.

Negreanu has already been part of Foley-led lobbying efforts to see an NHL club in the city, and his fame and enthusiasm has led to increased coverage on the issue.

He also played a huge role in the sale of ticket deposits in Las Vegas, an important part of a city getting an NHL franchise.

A city must have at least 10,000 paid ticket deposits to at least be considered for an NHL franchise.

With the possibility of a Las Vegas NHL franchise becoming ever more likely, don’t be surprised if you see poker and ice hockey becoming a bit more intertwined.