Evergreen Cemetery, the Pikes Peak region's largest burial ground, was established in 1874 and has grown to more than 220 acres, where upwards of 90,000 people now rest — among them a number of sports figures with nationally recognized careers.
Two players and coaches enshrined in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame have frequently visited grave sites at Evergreen, including Bob Johnson, whose headstone carries his signature phrase: "It's a great day for hockey." Johnson played in Minnesota, coached at Colorado College and the University of Wisconsin, led U.S. national and Olympic teams, and guided the Pittsburgh Penguins to their first Stanley Cup championship in 1991.
The second hockey Hall of Famer interred at Evergreen is Vic Heyliger, who both played and coached the University of Michigan Wolverines to multiple NCAA championships, suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks, and established the hockey program at the Air Force Academy.
A more somber sports story at Evergreen belongs to Stephanie Westerfeld, a 17-year-old member of The Broadmoor Figure Skating Club who perished in 1961 when the plane carrying the entire United States Figure Skating delegation to the World Championships went down in Belgium. She is buried next to her sister Sharon, a retired skater who had been aboard the flight as a chaperone.
Readers seeking to pay respects to any of these figures can find them at Evergreen Cemetery; the cemetery's entrance area includes the Palmer family burial site, marked by boulders and rocks from the surrounding mountains. No additional commemorative events or cemetery programming related to these sports graves have been announced.