Playground Poker Club, Canada’s leading poker destination, has announced a star-studded lineup for their 2011 Legends Banquet event & poker tournament honoring the 102nd anniversary of Montreal’s greatest hockey team, and featuring some of the biggest names in hockey history, including Henri Richard, Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer and many more, all for a great cause.

Playground Poker Club is following up the popular NLH Faceoff Event this past summer with another unique experience combining poker and hockey with a few new twists at the 2011 Legends Banquet on December 4th, 2011 at Playground Poker Club’s five star restaurant, The Rail Coal Fire Bistro.

The banquet will run from 12 PM EST until 2 PM EST and is being hosted by some of the most iconic names in hockey history, including Jean Beliveau, Yvan Cournoyer and Henri Richard and many other great players from hockey’s past. The poker tournament portion of the event begins right after the Legends Banquet wraps up at 2:30 PM EST.

“Montreal is the centre of the hockey universe and we feel that Playground is the centre of the poker universe, so hosting an event like this is the perfect marriage for us,” said Playground Poker Club COO David Montour. The event also coincides with the 102nd anniversary of Montreal’s hockey team, to add a little more historical flair.

Attendees will be able to rub elbows with hockey legends and bid on a live auction featuring autographed merchandise, pictures, memorabilia and much more. There will also be food service from the kitchen of the Rail Coal Fire Bistro, renowned for their famous coal fire oven that cooks up the best chicken wings and pizza in the Montreal area. Tickets are $150 and include VIP All-Access to the banquet. If you’re playing in the poker event, the Legends will circulate the room during the first hour of play to sign autographs and shake hands with the players. Proceeds set to benefit minor hockey.

“Playground is actively involved in many charities.” says Montour. “We’ve raised roughly $75000 through our past events, and this event will allow us to assist young talented hockey players who simply don’t have the means to play the game.”

In addition to this unique opportunity to rub elbows with the greats of hockey’s past, Playground Poker Club is living up to their “For players, by players” motto by hosting a $300 + $50 Bounty Tournament starting at 2:30 PM EST. The bounty is at $100 for this event and is tripled if players knock out any legends, so anyone who knocks out any of the greats competing in the tourney will receive a bounty of $300!

“At Playground, we’re always looking for ways to offer our players the best opportunity to win big and have a great time doing it. The increased bounty incentives in this tournament do that and will keep things interesting and make it even more fun for players to knock one another out of the event,” Montour continued.