Céline Dion Makes Surprise Appearance at NHL Draft ArticlePure

Céline Dion is showing up for the Montreal Canadiens!

The 56-year-old singer made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, held at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Friday, June 28, to announce the Canadiens’ fifth-round draft pick.

Dion, who was introduced onstage as the team’s “No. 1 fan,” could be seen entering the venue in a white V-neck dress while holding hands with her eldest son, René-Charles Angélil. 

Several hockey fans cheered as the music legend made her way to the stage with a big smile on her face. Once she arrived onstage, she shared handshakes and cheek kisses with the team heads before taking her place at the microphone.

“I’m excited. [I’m] not even a hockey mom,” the Grammy winner joked to the audience, before announcing the team’s pick, Ivan Demidov from Russia.

After he was announced, Demidov could be seen celebrating with family members and friends before coming up onstage and thanking the hockey team leaders. He also shook hands with Dion and her son before grabbing his new team jersey.

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Dion’s surprise appearance comes a few days after she released her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, directed by Irene Taylor, which gives a “raw and honest behind-the-scenes look” at the “superstar’s struggle with a life-altering illness” — stiff-person syndrome — which she was diagnosed with in August 2022.

“Serving as a love letter to her fans, this inspirational documentary highlights the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit,” a synopsis for the documentary reads.

Since the diagnosis, the “My Heart Will Go On” singer has had to cancel tour dates and take on an intense treatment plan which has included medication, immune therapy, vocal therapy and physical rehabilitation. 

Dion told PEOPLE that her three sons, whom she shared with her late husband, René Angélil, have kept her going amid her health challenges. René-Charles, in particular, has accompanied his mother to several events in the wake of her diagnosis, including the June 17 premiere of the documentary at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.

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“I barely could walk at one point, and I was missing very much living. My kids started to notice. I was like, ‘OK, they already lost a parent. I don’t want them to be scared,’ ” said Dion, who is also mother to 13-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.

“I let them know, ‘You lost your dad, [but] mom has a condition and it’s different. I’m not going to die. It’s something that I’m going to learn to live with,’ ” she continued.

I Am: Celine Dion is now streaming on Prime Video.