Not that a reminder is needed, necessarily, but today marks 11 years since Kings director of pro scouting Ace Bailey and amateur scout Mark Bavis died as passengers on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York. It’s hard to believe that Bavis, such a young man in 2001, would only have been 42 years old today. And who knows where the already successful scouting career of Bailey, only 53 at the time of his death, would have led. Last year at this time, I wrote about the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, and you can read that by clicking here. For those so inclined, both men have foundations set up in their honor: the Ace Bailey Children’s Foundation and the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation.
I happened to be in New York over the weekend and went down to the 9/11 Memorial. By pure chance, I walked toward one of the memorial pool/waterfall tributes, and within just a couple minutes found Ace and Mark’s names. I didn’t have anything Kings- or hockey-related to leave for them, just some thoughts. Also, I’d like to think that part of Ace and Mark’s legacy will be in the new World Trade Center buildings, the largest of which is nearing completion…
Think of them every time I see Bailey.
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I came to the blog today because I thought about Ace and Mark. I’m glad they can enjoy the championship where they are.
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Just wanted to say that with all the nonsense going on in our country, it’s the people that make it great. I’m proud to be an American, proud to have served after 9/11, happy to be a member of this community, and I hope that everyone today remembers what it was like 11 years ago today.
If I could shake hands or share a beer with you all, I would be proud to do that too. Tell people how much you care about them today, and be grateful for the wonderful things in your life.
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KingsFan on EastCoastTime Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
@furrylats, Wonderful sentiment… Thank you for sharing it.
Cheers to you.
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EasyBob Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
@furrylats, Amen, brother.
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SpencerMaze Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 4:29 pm
@furrylats, Yes, beautiful sentiments indeed. We will NEVER forget!
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OneTimer Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
@furrylats,
I’m a longtime Kings fan – 27 years and counting,
I’m a family member who lost his only brother of 38 years – Pentagon plane flight 77,
I’m a proud uncle of a Naval Academy Midshipman/1C – the son of that very same lost brother,
and I’m a beer-enjoying fellow American – actually just started a fresh batch of Home brew…
For all these reasons alone, I’d be honered to join you at that bar anytime, anywhere. Bless you for your words.
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furrylats Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
@OneTimer, I’m living in Oregon these days but I’ll definitely let you know when I’m coming to LA. We can go to a Jr Kings game if we have to this season.
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OneTimer Reply:
September 13th, 2012 at 7:59 am
@furrylats,
Well, wife and I actually live in northern CA, about 30 mins east of San Fran.
*Cheers*
Thanks-
OT
Great write up Rich.
Thank you for sharing and for taking the time to go down to the memorial and pay your respects.
Never forget.
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The thought of what they must have gone through frightens me to my core. I’m glad we put a bullet in that mother F’ers head.
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Crown Royal Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 8:47 am
@RobSD,
It doesn’t change what happened but I’m glad too!
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On MSNBC they were replaying the live broadcast from 9/11/01 and I was as glued to it as I was 11 years ago. So many things came back to me, rememberances of feelings of that morning, the horror of seeing the second plane hit, live, on television. I remember having just been standing watching at the time, not sure what had went down up to that point, I was standing in my bedroom at my parents house, but when that second plane hit, so large, so surreal, I was forced to sit down, shaken with horror and grief, and just burst into a full on cry. It was as if I could not digest what my eyes were seeing, there was no paradigm set up in mind to fit what I was watching into and somehow rationalize the events that were unfolding…my primordial instinct was simply to cry and express an overwhelming grief. I was not born to witness or live through December 7th, 1941, but September 11, 2001 will always be the date for me that will live on in infamy.
Just to show the power/impact of that day: my son, who is not even 4 yet, was moving around this morning, getting ready for his day at day care while I was watching the MSNBC feed. At the time both buildings were smoldering and the talking heads were doing just that when out of nowhere, my boy stopped and looked at the screen and turned to me and said “Dad did they fall down?” powerful powerful stuff… needless to say, I’m feeling very different today then most days. We will truly never forget!
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Crown Royal Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 8:45 am
@Stuart,
Great post!
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Kingsfanone Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
@Stuart,
Nicely said.
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God Bless Ground Hero.
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Someone needs to take the Cup to them. like with the championship hat.
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DesertKing Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 9:28 am
@Munoz18,
Absolutely!
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Forum Gold Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 9:30 am
@Munoz18, +1.
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Nick in Phoenix Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:00 am
I agree. Cup to The Memorial and their names on the Cup.
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DesertKing Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:14 am
@Nick in Phoenix,
Evem better!
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Nick in Phoenix Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:25 am
It was posted elsewhere their names should be on the Cup. I didn’t see it here. I hope the Kings will make this request to the NHL. I don’t know if it’s been done before, but I think it’s appropriate.
Brian S. Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
@Munoz18, I was thinking the same thing last night. If I were a kings player i would take it to the memorial
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Give them their moment with the Cup!
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Rich article Rich! Tinely and not to be forgotten on this sate, also the 3 month anniversary of our LA Kings becoming Stanley Cup Champions…RIP Ace and Mark.
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Sitting here in downtown Manhattan across the street from Ground Zero (i’m literally staring at the Freedom Tower when I look out the windows) it’s certainly weird to think that in some ways 9/11 felt like just yesterday and in other ways it feels like a long long time ago (if that makes any sense). While there are reminders of it every day (still see generally more US flags on buildings than pre-2001, although to a lesser degree these days), the Freedom Tower is getting closer to completion, etc, this year was feeling slightly different because… well.. there’s as much talking at work today as there is on a normal day. On the 1yr anniversary I remember the trading floor being stone silent. Just very eeeery. Basically most of the people I was with and around in mid-town Manhattan were there on 2002, and the TV stations kept on replaying the same visuals. Today when I look around most of the people here weren’t working back then, and hence weren’t in NY, so you get this natual “memory” loss of that day. Plus some non-local stations like CNBC aren’t interrupting too much of their normal coverage.
I must say in some ways it is nice that people rememer those who are forgotten but at the same time it’s nice to see how life in America does move and always gets better.
But out of all anniversaries, the one thing which I find to be the weirdest about this year is that the weather is exactly like it was in 2001. A sunny day, with no clouds, and a touch of pre-fall coolness to it. That more than anything makes me think about that day. And how weird/aawful/numbing it was.
Anyhoo enough ramblings, back to work, but never to forget!
RIP Mark & Ace
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Forum Gold Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 9:08 am
@Shakes, Your ramblings gave me goosebumps.
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Sometimes it hard to put into words…But we do remember and always will….
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We must never forget!!!
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America is about people, people like Mark and Ace, who do their jobs the best they can in mutual support of everyone else. Thanks Rich for the stories and the photos, helping us to remember who these gentlement were, and someday, when I am at a Kings game with my grandchildren, and they ask “Granpa, how did Bailey get his name?”, I will be able to tell them the story of Mark and Ace, King’s legends forever. Never Forget!!
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7MILforHickey Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
@DesertKing, dad, for those of us who dont know, how did he get his name?
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DesertKing Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
@7MILforHickey,
Bailey the Mascot was named in remembramce of Ace Bailey following his death on 09/11/01.
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7MILforHickey Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 8:45 am
@DesertKing, i never knew the two were related! i became a kings fan around 2000 because i loved felix potvin, i was really young and i dont know i guess i thought that bailey has been our mascot forever.
DesertKing Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 12:35 pm
@7MILforHIckey
Thank Rich, since he is the one who educated me and many other Kings fans through his great and informative articles
Every year we grieve a little less and live a little more but make no mistake we will never forget!
USA USA USA
GO KINGS GO
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RIP you will never be forgotten, Mark and Ace, along with all the rest who as well did not have to die on this day, eleven years ago, when will the wars and all the bad people just go away.
Go Kings Go!
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
@Gail Web,
Maybe when some backwards thinking parts of the world stop thinking of the cowards who comitted this dispicable crime against humanity as heroes.
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Thanks Rich. Loved that article you wrote about Ace and Mark…thoughts and prayers for the families and friends today. RIP
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I’m wondering if we should start a Facebook page to put Ace and Mark’s names on the Cup…
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307 die hard Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 11:34 am
@Nick in Phoenix, definitely… You never know where it might lead.
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Mark and Ace, gone but not forgotten!!!! They live on through Bailey, at Kings games, too!!!
RIP…
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Remembering ALL innocent lives lost since that day. Along with the 3,000 on 9/11, there have been conservatively 150,000 civilian deaths (and counting) in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The horror seen by the eyes of those who survived these atrocities echos across eternity.
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Kingsfanone Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com),
Agreed.
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 2:28 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), Not to mention all the brave men and woman who have served in the armed forces, and gave their lives to an enemy who is still capable of doing it again!
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Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com) Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
@Dominick (defrim65), And the second leading cause of death among active military…suicide. Let’s make sure we remember them too for they were tortured souls yearning to come home.
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rumpa #19 Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
@Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com), Hit it out of the park! No more war pigs!!!!
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RIP Mark and Ace. The events of this day 11 yrs ago couldn’t possibly be forgotten. It was a sad day for our Kings family and our nation. Our world changed that day in a way that it has never before. Would love to see their names on the cup, but something tells me that won’t happen.
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Rest In Peace Ace and Mark. Strength and comfort for their families.
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At least NHL.com got something right and actually posted a story about the Kings. They made Rich’s story about Mark and Ace one of their lead stories.
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LuckyEleven Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 11:43 am
@DesertKing, +1. That was nice to see. And still a powerful read one year later.
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LVKINGS88 Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
@DesertKing, Totally agree DK, I spent many a day crying after the Kings won the SC (did I really just right that?) but that picture of the SC Kings hat sitting on on that granite memorial next to Ace and Marks names was,well it said it all.Always remember and never forget,God bless America.
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This is a good read also on Gretzky’s relationship with Ace, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1023761/index.htm
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https://www.facebook.com/PutAceAndMarkOnTheStanleyCup?skip_nax_wizard=true
Search on Facebook “Put Ace and Mark on The Stanley Cup”
Never started a facebook page before. Hope this works.
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http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mark-Bavis-Ace-Bailey/102004399956305
Like for Mark Bavis and Ace Bailey.
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Never forget.
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i wish they were with us during this year….they would have been on top of the world…
such a worldwide tragedy….
here’s to you both, ACE and MARK…may you both be resting peacefully forever….
we will never forget…(!)
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I’m generally one that dislikes mascots of all types, but the King’s have one that means something and therefore it is the best one by de facto. Besides that, he really is the most entertaining one I’ve seen.
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Shakes Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
@KC23,
Kingston RIP
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Dominick (defrim65) Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 2:55 pm
@Shakes,
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DesertKing Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
@KC23,
So much better than the stupid blue/green body suited mimes from VanHoover who are so weird and creepy they scare small children.
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Land of the free. Home of the brave.
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May we never forget the lives lost on 9/11/01. Especially today take a break from the usual routine and flash a smile at someone. Shake someones hand, hug a loved one. On this day we must remember that lives can change in an instant. Regardless of faith, political views, sexual orientation strike up a conversation with someone today about the weather or something pleasant. We’ve all been affected in some way with this tragedy let us never forget how great our country is and how great those 3000+ fallen heroes were. God Bless America and thank you all for being you.
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RIP Mark & Ace…Their loss and the 3000 others that day make this lockout thing look insignificant.
Time is supposed to heal the pain. However, time has also fanned my anger towards those who committed these atrocities and their supporters.
Go Kings Go!!
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puck73 Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
@Gustavo, Have to concur with this.
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OT….DAY WITH THE CUP TOMORROW!!
We have room for 2 more bloggers who want to take pictures with the Cup tomorrow at Nokia Center. My son cannot make it, and we’d hate to see the opportunity go to waste.
Let me know if anyone is interested….gliwski@aol.com
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puck73 Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
@Gustavo, This is the kind of selfless act I have come to expect from some of the people on this site. @Jeff_R and his Mom have invited me and Pati, and now you have reached out as well.
Nice going G !
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307 die hard Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
@Gustavo, keep in mind that everyone in your reservation can only take one group picture.
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Gustavo Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
@307 die hard,
I just found that out. Bummer. And no pics taken with hour own camera or cell phone.
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I agree 100% with Nick and Gustavo. I think of Ace and Mark every time I see Mascot Bailey. I pray there is a heaven for them and an unimaginable hell for those who did it.
Ace and Mark deserve to have their names on the cup!
GO KINGS GO
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I really don’t mean to spoil what is such a meaningful post, but you all really have to see this.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=641260
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luc20rules Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
@FiG17, Never liked the skills he chose to display, so its nice to know the boy has something to fall back on. He played well in the NBA celebrity All Star Game, so all that dancing must be good for the coordination go figure?
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DesertKing Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 8:56 am
@FiG17,
I am sure that Ribeiro appreciated the comparison. I see some fighting majors for him next season.
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TeamJMFJ Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
@DesertKing, haha right!? If i was Ribero id be pissed!!
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September 11th, 2001…I believe it was a tuesday and I had the day off and an early morning tee-time…I was on the front nine just after the first plane hit…I had no idea what was going on…after that front nine I entered the club house to use the restroom and get a beverage and got my first glimpse of the tradegy unfolding on live TV…by then the second airplain had struck…I would stay there for two hours watching in horror and disbelief…standing there…mouth shut…not able to move…feeling guilty for playing the game I love on such a beautiful morning while such awful things were transpireing to the east…So many innocent lives lost…so many families ripped apart…such a waste of life… and such a cowardly way to make a point…so horrific was the scene unfolding before my eyes that it seems there was no point to make…it was absolutely a senseless act and whatever the purps message was..was lost in the tradegy…still, I guess, the fear that they (the purps) were able to instill in the people of our country still exist today…and has served to divide us even more…which is the ultimate tradegy…obviously, those lives lost on 9/11 will never be forgotten as well as the heroes that were born that day, but if we, as a people of a truely great nation, are to learn anything from the horrible events 11 years ago, it is that we should never be consumed by our fears and that we should always take pride in our liberty and the principles our ancestors fought for and what this country was founded on…11 years ter and the wounds still run deep…and there is plenty of hatred to go around…we have a long way to go… to heal…to find or make peace with it…for some closest to this tradegy that day may never come…to those people, my deepest sympathies…sincerely, G smith
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luc20rules Reply:
September 11th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
@g smith86, First I don’t think there was a message if there was it was that we hate you(Westerner/Americans). The older I get the more I realize that those that seek to point out the few differences in people/cultures are looking for reasons to hate, and those that tend to seek the common points in people/cultures are looking for peace, cooperation and prosperity. Its is those groups that find some reasoning to find a group as less than themselves that are able to commit such atrocities or slavery type explotation. I am somewhat suprised that 9/11 is not a more celibrated or day of reflection than it is, but it should be a day that teaches us there is not enough tolerance/repect for others and life in the world. No CBA talk tonight just a moment of silence for those mass murdered on 9/11 and the troops and others that have lost there lives since.
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Nice pics , by the way, Rich! Nicely framed and good composition. Just wanted to mention that.
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R.I.P. Marc and Ace. Your families who are in our thoughts and prayers should have a day with the cup…
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Hey Rich. What did Gary & Don think of your proposal to solve the labor impasse when you presented it to them last weekend in New York? I’m sure the Hammer could get this conflict “hammered” out in time for Training Camps to open next week!
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Today is the day I wondered would ever happen. Get a picture with cup and family with the Kings being Stanley Cup Champions. Sweet!!!
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Not to get to far off the topice of Ace and Mark, but the CBA deadline is coming up and really don’t want to cancel my Frozen Fury plans.
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Lake Forest Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
@DesertKing, this is the end, my only friend, the end.
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DesertKing Reply:
September 12th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
@Lake Forest,
Why am I hearing helicopters?
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A tip of the hat to a few others –picking up on a comment by Paul Armbruster (KingsNewsDaily.com)–that have alluded to a big picture of fatal injustice, to innocent victims of others’ consuming ideological priorities.
According to the United Nations, 25,000 people a day die from hunger. About 27,000 people a day die from malaria. Diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery are a death sentence to around 35,000 people every day. These statistics are people. Innocent people whose singular capital crime was being brought into this world in the wrong place, a place not found on the priority maps of those positioned to mitigate the carnage.
The lives lost due to the 9/11 terrorists constitute a tragic injustice, no doubt, but within the full context of humans suffering at the hands of other humans, be it through some ‘righteous’ hatred or a systematic indifference, it’s just a molecule.
And, since it’s a hockey blog, a tip of the hat to athletes that, in the face of human suffering, step up and do the right thing. Georges Laraque, for instance.
(somebody’s not going to like that)
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@Goring19 is right on the money on this one. Was in NYC a few weeks ago to see the memorial. It’s a beautiful remembrance, but I’m sure having their names on the fountain would be of far less interest to either scout than a day with cup. Since they cannot be here to enjoy the cup themselves, please Mr. Robitaille, do what you can to ensure that their families get a day with the cup. If it comes down to some funds needed for the cup security team to be on hand, I will be happy to contribute to the fund.
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Never forget!
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