Céline Dion and a ‘memorable’ visit with Montreal Canadiens in Las Vegas

Quebec chanteuse Céline Dion made a surprise appearance with her sons when the Montreal Canadiens took on the Golden Knights in Las Vegas on Monday.

The icon shared a few photos online of her first public outing since her diagnosis of the incurable neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome.

In the snaps, Dion is seen with her children — René-Charles and twins Nelson and Eddy — in the locker room with Habs players and coach Martin St. Louis. The legendary singer and her boys had “such a fun time” visiting the team.

“They played so well, what a game!! Thank you for meeting us after the game, guys! That was memorable for all of us,” Dion wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Have a great season!”

The Canadiens also posted a video of the interaction, showing Dion hugging St. Louis and telling him, “It’s such an honour to meet you.” The coach congratulated Dion on her accomplishments, saying he remembered her singing for Pope John Paul II in 1984.

“It’s been a while, eh?” she quips.

The vocal powerhouse then shook hands with captain Nick Suzuki and forward Cole Caufield after their shootout loss to the Golden Knights. When crowding in for a photo, Dion jokingly says, “Squeeze in, let’s not be shy. You smell great.”

Dion has been largely out of the spotlight since she publicly revealed her diagnosis nearly a year ago in December 2022. Stiff person syndrome is a rare disorder that causes progressive muscle rigidity and spasms.

Dion, 55, has said the muscle spasms she suffers “affect every aspect of my daily life” and that the disease doesn’t allow her “to sing the way I’m used to.” She was forced to cancel the rest of her world tour, which was supposed to take place in Europe and the U.K. over the fall and next spring.

— with files from Sarah Do Couto and Michelle Butterfield

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.