Watch Celine Dion choose the Montreal Canadiens’ 2024 First-Round NHL Draft Pick at the Vegas Sphere

Getting chosen in the first round of the NHL Draft is a unique and unforgettable experience. Having your name called by one of the most legendary singers ever makes it even more extraordinary.

On Friday night (June 28) at the 2024 NHL Draft, the Canadiens invited Celine Dion to the stage. Montreal general manager Kent Hughes referred to her as “our No. 1 fan” as she announced the fifth overall draft pick of the evening.

Dion, along with her 23-year-old son René-Charles Dion Angélil, who is also a singer known as RC Angélil, took the stage at Las Vegas’ Sphere. She began with a bilingual greeting in both French and English before making the announcement. “With the fifth overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens are proud to select Ivan Demidov.”

Due to Dion's dramatic pause before announcing the 18-year-old Russian hockey player's name, NHL announcers dubbed it “the most dramatic draft announcement of all time.” They also noted, “Montreal is saying ‘merci’ to the Anaheim Ducks for not picking him,”after the California team had shown interest in selecting Demidov third overall.

During his post-draft press conference, Demidov was asked about having Dion announce his name. He responded, “It’s unbelievable. It’s like a book. Like a movie. It’s… me,” he laughed.

Reporters hinted that he might be too young to be familiar with Dion's music, but the young Russian assured them, saying, “No, I know. I watched the Titanic.” Dion famously performed “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song from the 1997 James Cameron epic Titanic, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.

Dion hails from Charlemagne, Quebec, located approximately 15 miles outside of Montreal. She has been a devoted supporter of the Canadiens for many years. Additionally, she has made Las Vegas her home for the last twenty years, where she performed residencies at Caesars Palace spanning sixteen years.

The NHL Draft appearance comes just a few days after Prime Video released the new documentary I Am: Celine Dion, which chronicles Dion’s health battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder.