The 2024 NHL Draft oozed glitz and glamour on Friday night. It had nothing to do with the event being held at The Sphere and everything to do with Céline Dion making a surprise appearance.
The legendary singer was front and center when the Montreal Canadiens were on the clock with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the NHL Draft. After greeting the crowd, which was met with a chorus of boos, Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes shared that the "My Heart Will Go On" singer would be making the team's selection, which was then met with a boisterous roar.
"To make our 2024 first selection, I'm pleased to invite onstage our No. 1 fan, the one and only, Céline Dion," Hughes said, before cameras cut to Dion walking through a tunnel before arriving onstage. The crowd cheered as she smiled and thanked the crowd for the reception, and she looked stunning in a white dress shirt tucked in a white skirt.
Once onstage, Dion said she was excited and joked, "I'm not even a hockey mom." She then announced Russian phenom Ivan Demidov as the Montreal Canadiens' selection, which also drew a raucous ovation from fans.
"The most dramatic, dropped announcement of all time," commented an ESPN analyst after Dion's selection.
Celine Dion looks on before announcing the fifth overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens onstage during the first round of the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Celine Dion with the Montreal Canadiens' fifth-overall selection, Ivan Demidov, at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Celine Dion.
Dion's surprise appearance comes amid her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) and just days after fans of the legendary singer got a glimpse at her immense pain in her new Prime documentary, I Am: Celine Dion. In that documentary, the GRAMMY winner is seen enduring a startling seizure which lasts an astounding 10 minutes.
Dion revealed in December 2022 that -- after months of struggling with heath issues, including muscle spasms and stiffness -- she had officially been diagnosed with SPS, a rare autoimmune disorder.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Stiff Person Syndrome is "a rare disorder of motor function characterized by involuntary stiffness of axial muscles and superimposed painful muscle spasms, which are often induced by startle or emotional stimuli."
Earlier this month, Dion shared on the Today show that her spasm have gotten so bad that, on occasion, she has suffered from broken ribs.
I Am: Celine Dion is streaming now on Prime Video.
RELATED CONTENT:
