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Hockey world still mourns Bailey's loss

By PHIL STACEY

Sports editor

LYNNFIELD -- Garnet 'Ace' Bailey was perhaps best known for being the answer to a popular sports trivia question: Who, along with Bobby Schmautz, was the only NHL player to be a teammate of both Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky?

Sadly, Bailey will now also be remembered forever as one of 65 passengers who died aboard United Airlines Flight 175 on Sept. 11, 2001.

A Lynnfield resident, the 53-year-old Bailey was headed to El Segundo, Calif., that morning to begin his eighth season as director of pro scouting for the Los Angeles Kings. On board with him that morning was Roslindale's Mark Bavis, a former Boston University star who was beginning his second year as a Kings scout under Bailey's supervision.

Bailey, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the "Big, Bad Bruins" of 1970 and '72, was beloved throughout the hockey world. The Canadian native broke into the NHL with the Bruins in 1969 and played for them until 1973, followed by stints with the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, and finally the World Hockey Association's Edmonton Oilers. He retired as a player in 1979, but remained a fixture in hockey the rest of his life, first as a coach and then as a scout.

He was also a husband and father, leaving a wife, Kathy, and a son, Todd.

The Kings dedicated their 2001-02 season to both Bailey and Bavis, wearing a sticker on their helmets in their memory all of last year.

Next month, the Manchester (N.H.) Monarchs, the Kings' top minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League, will host the inaugural Ace Bailey Memorial Golf Tournament at the Manchester Country Club in Bedford, N.H., on Oct. 15. All proceeds from the event will raise money for the Ace Bailey Children's Fund and Monarchs Care Foundation.