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. 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 end.
