Celine Dion made a surprise appearance on Friday to announce who the Montreal Canadiens selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The five-time Grammy Award winner, who has battled the rare neurological disorder Stiff Person Syndrome, stopped by the Sphere in Las Vegas to reveal that Russian-born player Ivan Demidov is heading to her hockey team from her native Quebec, Canada.
“Good evening, everybody,” Dion said, as the Las Vegas crowd greeted her with cheers.
“Even if you're not a hockey mom, you're excited.”
She continued to talk about the Canadiens' selection, with dramatic pauses between her statements.
“This is the most dramatic draft announcement in history,” ESPN's John Buccigross said on the broadcast.
Dion's surprise appearance, in which she recently spoke at the New York premiere of her new Amazon Prime documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion,” comes more than a year and a half after revealing her SPS diagnosis in December 2022.
Dion, who has barely been seen in public since her diagnosis, vowed earlier this month to return to the stage, even if it meant “crawling” and “talking” with her hands.
“It was like a movie,” Demidoff told reporters about the moment Dion called his name.
He also said he knew Dion's music and had seen “Titanic.”
In an Instagram post on Saturday, Dion wrote in French that the draft was a lot of fun, and shared photos from the night, including one with her family.
The music icon is a known hockey fan who brought his twin sons, Nelson and Eddie, to a Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers game in March, where they played air guitar from the stands to Bon Jovi's “Livin' on a Prayer.”
She also spoke with Bruins players in the locker room before the game, jokingly thanking shirtless defenseman Brandon Carlo for “getting me ready.”
She also made several appearances at NHL games last season, visiting the Canadiens' locker room before a game against the Vegas Golden Knights in October.
