Kings Remember 2 Scouts Who Lost Their Lives on 9/11
· Yahoo Sports
Twenty-five years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the hockey world continues to remember two members of the Los Angeles Kings organization who were among those killed that morning.
Garnet “Ace” Bailey and Mark Bavis were aboard United Airlines Flight 175, traveling from Boston to Los Angeles ahead of Kings training camp. The hijacked plane was crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
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The two men were connected by hockey, but they were at very different points in their lives and careers. In the years since their deaths, their families, friends and the Kings have worked to ensure their legacies endure.
“People that were with the organization 25 years ago certainly know what all those things mean,” Dave Taylor, former Kings General Manager, said. “I mean, the best newcomer is the Mark Bavis Award and Ace was a team player and the Ace Bailey Award is for the player with leadership skills, who [inspires others] and so the Kings have carried that on.
“I think they still wear the patches on the helmets. They have recognition and they’ve been very involved with the fundraising, both for the Bailey family and the Bavis family over the years.
“They’re always part of the family and always will be.”
Bailey Spent Decades in the NHL
Bailey had spent virtually his entire adult life around hockey by the time he joined the Kings’ front office.
Born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Bailey reached the NHL as a player with the Boston Bruins during the late 1960s. He went on to play for several organizations during his career, including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals.
Bailey was part of two Stanley Cup championship teams as a Bruins player, winning titles with Boston in 1970 and 1972. His career in the sport continued long after he stopped playing, and his work as a scout and executive ultimately contributed to five more Stanley Cup championships.
By 2001, Bailey had spent 33 seasons in the NHL and had become the Kings’ director of pro scouting.
“Ace was the head of our pro scouting staff and just a terrific person,” Taylor said. “He was very outgoing, loved to have a good time. Any room he went into, if he didn’t know people, he went up and introduced himself and got to know them. He was absolutely terrific on our staff. When we had new scouts come aboard, he was usually the first guy to welcome them on board with the Kings and include everybody in every event that we had.
“If we were having meetings, we’d all go out to dinner together. There were times when we met over in Phoenix and Ace would go in a couple of days early. He’d get a room with a little kitchenette and he’d cook for everybody. We’d have meetings during the day and then he would make dinner and everybody was together. He was really a team-oriented guy.”
Former NHL coach Bruce Boudreau, who was close friends with Bailey, has remembered him as the type of person he wanted his own players to emulate.
Boudreau had an especially painful connection to the events of September 11. He had initially been expected to travel on the same flight as Bailey and Bavis but instead flew to Los Angeles a day earlier.
According to ESPN, in Boudreau’s book, “Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer,” he had tried to talk Bailey into flying back with him, but because of the high cost of changing his flight, Bailey opted to stay on United 175.
Bavis Was Just Beginning His NHL Career
A native of Massachusetts, Bavis grew up in a hockey family alongside his twin brother, Michael. He played college hockey at Boston University before moving into coaching, working at the NCAA level before receiving an opportunity to join the Kings as a scout.
Bavis was entering only his second season with Los Angeles when he boarded Flight 175. At 31 years old, he was considered a promising young hockey mind with the potential to continue climbing through the professional ranks.
“When he transitioned into scouting with an NHL team, Greg Dreschel was there and he loved working for Al Murray and Dave Taylor,” Mike said. “He was looking forward to the start of his second season. We got a kick out of him being on the stage with [Dave Steckel].
“It’s funny. I was in Montreal a number of years later, I was actually at a concert, and Mike Cammalleri came over, we talked and he made a point to talk to me. [Mark] really loved the guys he worked with.”
His death left his family and friends with the impossible task of wondering what might have been. A quarter-century later, Michael has spoken about how deeply the loss of his twin brother can still affect him and how meaningful it has been to know that people across hockey have continued to remember Mark.
“He was fiercely loyal,” Mike said. “He was a great teammate and he was a great friend to all of his friends. That’s who he was.”
Bavis’ legacy has also been carried forward through the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation, which has provided scholarships to young people while emphasizing qualities such as leadership, determination and generosity.
The Kings have found their own ways to keep the memories of Bavis and Bailey close. Their names have appeared on the team’s helmets, and their families have remained connected to the organization.
One of the most meaningful moments came after Los Angeles captured the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history in 2012. Members of the organization brought the Stanley Cup to Ground Zero in New York and invited members of the Bailey and Bavis families to be there.
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