Ken Dryden died last weekend at the age of 78; he had been battling cancer for several years. Dryden was the goalkeeper for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s and helped the club win six Stanley Cup Championships in his career. He also won the Vezina Trophy five times during his tenure with the Canadiens. One piece of trivia that I learned while reading about his passing is that Ken Dryden was the color commentator beside Al Michaels in the US/USSR ice hockey game that gave rise to the catch phrase, “Do you believe in miracles?”
Rest in peace, Ken Dryden.
The 2025 English Premier League season is still in its infancy; each team has played 3 games (fixtures) to date. Liverpool is first in the standings (atop the table) as the only team (side) to have won all three of its matches. There are two teams in the EPL that call the city of Liverpool home; the other one is Everton which is actually older than the Liverpool team having been founded in 1878. Everton has a new stadium that just opened last month; the new facility is called Hill Dickinson Stadium, and it seats just under 53,000 fans for Everton matches. The name derives from a naming rights agreement between the Everton club and a law firm in the city of Liverpool.
A new stadium for Everton is a slightly bigger deal than just the structure. Since 1892, Everton had played its home games in Goodison Park in Liverpool. Obviously, the facility underwent renovations and upgrades and facelifts over about 130 years, but after a long and protracted planning process and lots of starts and stops regarding financing, Everton will have a new home and Goodison Park will be demolished and relegated to sports history/memory.
As is often the case, new stadium facilities attract large signature events. Hill Dickinson Stadium has only been open for a couple of months, but they have already booked the 2025 Rugby League Ashes as the Australian rugby team comes to play in England. In addition, the UAEFA Championship in 2028 will be hosted by Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and Hill Dickinson Stadium will be one of the venues in England for that tournament.
As you might imagine, there is a rivalry between Liverpool and Everton; the fact that the two stadiums are less than 2 miles apart – – as the crow flies – – adds to the rivalry. The EPL was founded in 1992; both Everton and Liverpool were charter members of the league. In fact, both sides had been major forces in English futbol prior to the existence of the EPL:
- Liverpool had been in the top-tier of English futbol ever since 1962. The team had been relegated out of what was then the top league in 1954 and finally clawed its way back into that elite status in 1962.
- Everton was last relegated out of the top level of English futbol at the close of the season in 1951. Their tenure in a status below the top level was brief; they earned their way back to the top in 1954 and have remained there ever since.
Everton is in fifth place in the EPL table as of this morning having won two matches and played to a draw in the other. Liverpool and Everton will meet in the new stadium in less than two weeks. It should be a new chapter for a longstanding rivalry.
Having mentioned Liverpool’s presence in the EPL since the creation of the EPL, let me add another noteworthy stat.
- Since the creation of the EPL more than 30 years ago, Liverpool has never finished worse than 8th place (in a 20-team league) for a season.
- With the relegation/promotion process that exists in English – – and European – – futbol, the EPL does represent the top level of competition in the sport there. Having never finished below 8th place is a measure of consistency not often found in sports.
Switching gears … I got an email from #2 son with the following history/trivia regarding the Philadelphia Eagles:
“Just read a fascinating stat, courtesy of Draft Kings…
“With the win against the Cowboys this week, the total record for the Philadelphia Eagles is now 639-639-27. This is the first time they have had an overall .500 record since …. 1933, when they were 3-3-1 (They finished that year 3-5-1 and have had an overall losing record since.)”
Finally, here is a blessing – – of sorts – – from George Carlin:
“May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
My preferred Dryden trivia is if you leave it open to all sports – what athlete won the playoff MVP, and followed it up the next year by winning Rookie of the Year? Dryden only played about 6 games at the end of the year when he came up, got hot and they ran with him to a Cup, so he was eligible to win Rookie
That is true trivia.