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Utah HC GM Bill Armstrong reveals how Celine Dion had them all worked up at 2024 NHL Draft
The Utah Hockey Club, led by GM Bill Armstrong, could only watch as the Montreal Canadiens made their pick right before Utah was on the board. Celine Dion was announcing the pick and she did it rather slowly, which only drove the anxiety for Armstrong and Co. through the roof.
Armstrong revealed that he was concerned that the Canadiens were going to take Tij Iginla, the player they desperately wanted to select with their pick. The longer Dion went without announcing the pick, the more Armstrong grew concerned.
Once the pick was made, the front office reacted with sheer joy when they realized that they would be able to draft Iginla. Despite the singer's slow tactics, Utah got the player it wanted after all.
NHL Watcher posted on X, formerly known as Twitter:
"Utah GM Bill Armstrong on TSN OverDrive says they were anxious when Celine Dion was picking for the Canadiens because it took her so long to make the pick announcement, when they finally did they exploded off their table knowing they were getting Tig Iginla."
This was the first pick in Utah Hockey Club's history, and it was a big one. The team picked sixth, meaning the chance to land an impact and franchise-altering player was there. In the club's eyes, it got just that.
Utah GM Bill Armstrong opens up on Tig Iginla pick
Clearly, the Utah Hockey Club wanted Tij Iginla. That was their ideal pick at sixth overall, so much so that they were on the edge of their metaphorical seat while the Canadiens picked fifth overall.
Bill Armstrong said, via TSN:
"We were so excited about it. We had spent a lot of time with Tij and taking him to dinner, having his family, and meeting them. We were hoping that he'd be there at our pick, and it was awesome. We checked the DNA, he reminded us a lot of his dad."
Armstrong added that Iginla impressed them with his improvement over the year. His ability to shoot the puck particularly stood out to the front office, and they decided to make him their pick.
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