Hertl, Stone And Other NHL’ers Admit Who Would Make Them Starstruck

Professional hockey players are no different than us. Although they are highly paid athletes, NHL’ers still admire and enjoy following the careers of others. For instance, VGK captain Mark Stone is an avid golfer and follows the PGA very closely. So, it’s no surprise as to which celebrity Stone admitted to being starstruck by.

Tiger Woods. I’ve idolized him since I was ten years old. He’s always been bigger than life for me. –Mark Stone to NHL.com

Vegas fans have heard countless stories about Stone’s passion for the links. Annually, he’s one of the Golden Knights’ best golfers, and to no surprise, he’s likely the most intense over 18 holes. Heck, in 2023 Stone took the Stanley Cup for a round of golf in Montana. The unrestricted free agent played 18 with fellow Stanley Cup champions Jonathan Marchessault, Brayden McNabb and Chandler Stepehenson. In the past, Stone declared Stephenson as one of the best golfers across the NHL. Stephenson didn’t disagree. The former Golden Knight went on to follow his words up with a hole in one in 2025.

A couple of years ago, Stone was able to meet his idol at Shadow Creek golf course. The veteran wingman was called up for a long drive contest and was nervously sweating. However, Stone ripped one down the fairway and likely impressed his childhood hero in the process. LA Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Minnesota Wild captain Jared Spurgeon also grew up rooting for Woods, throughout his illustrious PGA career.

As for another Golden Knight, he was interested in meeting a certain soccer legend and two of Hollywood’s elites.

From sports, it’s Christiana Ronaldo because he’s my favorite athlete. For a movie star, I’d like to meet Duane Johnson and Kevin Hart. I loved them when they were in a movie together. –Tomas Hertl to NHL.com

It’s difficult to come up with the specific movie Hertl was hinting at because Hart and The Rock have been in a handful of movies together. However, since Hertl is such a happy fellow, I’m guessing he enjoys a good buddy action flick. In 2016, Hart and Johnson co-starred in Central Intelligence together. It was a big summer blockbuster and won several awards for a comedy film. Apparently, the movie was entertaining enough to make Hertl a massive fan of both Hart and Johnson.

For some reason, The Rock is popular among hockey players. Like Hertl, several others would like to meet Johnson someday, including former Golden Knight and future Hall of Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Maybe, The Rock. He’s in so many movies and he’s had such a tremendous career. –Marc Andre Fleury to NHL.com

If there’s anyone who enjoys a buddy comedy, it’s Fleury. Known for his locker room pranks and sense of humor, it’s likely he enjoyed Central Intelligence as well. However, Fleury mentioned The Rock’s long career, so it’s possible The Flower is a wrestling fan. Just imagine those two starring in something together.

Who knows, maybe, Fleury will someday end up on some player’s starstruck list in the future.