Celine Dion admits she’s not a ‘hockey mom’ in surprise NHL Draft appearance amid health battle

Celine Dion made a surprise appearance on Friday to announce who the Montreal Canadiens have selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft.

The five-time Grammy winner — who has battled stiff person syndrome, or SPS, a rare neurological disorder — stopped by the Sphere in Las Vegas to reveal that Russian-born player Ivan Demidov was headed to her native Canadian’s hockey team province of Quebec.

“Good evening everyone,” Dion said as the Vegas crowd greeted her with cheers. “I’m excited, not even a hockey mom.”

She continued by revealing the Canadiens’ roster, pausing dramatically between her comments.

“The most dramatic draft announcement of all time,” ESPN’s John Buccigross said during the broadcast.

After being selected, Demidov spoke to reporters about Dion shouting his name and saying, “It’s like a movie.”

He also noted that he was aware of Dion’s music and had watched “Titanic.”

The surprise appearance from Dion, who recently spoke at the New York premiere of the new Prime Video documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” comes more than a year and a half since she revealed her SPS diagnosis in December 2022.

Dion, who has largely stayed out of the public eye since the diagnosis, vowed earlier this month that she would return to the stage even if she had to “crawl” and “talk with her hands.”

In an Instagram post on Saturday, Dion wrote in French that she had a lot of fun with the design and shared photos from the evening, including a photo with her family.

The music icon is a notable hockey fan; she took her twin sons, Nelson and Eddy, to a Boston Bruins-New York Rangers game where she played an air guitar from the crowd to Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” in March.

She also spoke to the Bruins in the locker room prior to the game and jokingly thanked shirtless defenseman Brandon Carlo for “getting ready” for her.

Dion also made a number of other appearances in NHL games this past season, including a visit to the Canadiens locker room prior to their game against the Vegas Golden Knights in October.