Stand-up comedian embarrassed after having no idea he was talking to NHL player in front row
Stand-up comedian Will Burkart had a big surprise when performing at a venue in Las Vegas last week.
As many comedians do, Burkart was working with the crowd and wound up creating a viral moment that he won’t forget any time soon.
“Are you a teacher?” Burkart said to a man in attendance after the man had told him he hadn’t been working over the summer.
As it turns out, that man was none other than Vegas Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith. The 34-year-old soon after revealed that he was a hockey player, and it became quite clear that he was famous as others in the crowd began chanting, “Go Knights go.”
“I’m honoured that you’re here, bro. I just got nervous all of a sudden. I don’t know why I just got nervous,” Burkart exclaimed to Smith. “You really slow played it like, ‘How’s work?’ ‘Uhh. It’s alright.’
Of course, the entire interaction wasn’t over yet, as Burkart wanted to pry more at his surprisingly famous attendee.
Given that hockey players are often assumed not to have all their teeth, Burkart couldn’t help but ask the Golden Knights forward if he still had all of his real ones. Being a good sport, Smith removed a fake tooth for Burkart and the crowd to see.
“Oh sh*t, bro, he just took out a [tooth],” Burkart said as the crowd erupted in laughter. “How are the front ones? Are the front ones still intact?”
@willburkart TOUR: Batavia IL 9/4-6, San Antonio 9/11, Austin 9/12-13, Springfield MA 9/26-27, Baltimore 9/28, Indy 10/8, STL 10/9, Dallas 10/15, Houston 10/16, Eugene 10/23, Portland OR 10/24, San Jose 11/6, NJ 11/12, DC 11/13 and more! #standupcomedy #comedy #standup ♬ original sound – Will Burkart
Smith was acquired by the Golden Knights just ahead of the 2025 NHL trade deadline and signed a one-year extension with them shortly after the 2024-25 season had concluded. He’s well acquainted with Golden Knights fans, however, as he spent six seasons with the organization from 2017 to 2023, and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning roster during that final season.
As for Burkart, he’s no stranger to fame himself, with north of 400,000 followers on Instagram. Still, he was quite caught off guard and starstruck by Smith’s presence, which created the hilarious moment that quickly spread across social media.