Kings plan to honor fallen friends

Steve Addy

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 10:27 a.m.

When the sports world went back to work this week, it hoped to provide a soothing diversion from the horror of the terrorist attacks upon the nation, if only for a few hours at a time.

But when the Los Angeles Kings are on the ice, the grief doesn't go away completely. It simply can't, not this soon.

The Kings lost two employees, scouting director Ace Bailey and amateur scout Mark Bavis, in the attacks. They were aboard hijacked United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into Tower 2 of the World Trade Center in New York last Tuesday.

Saturday night, when the Kings play the San Jose Sharks in their annual NHL preseason game at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, they will try to take another stouthearted step toward the regular season, while honoring the memories of their fallen friends.

"It's tough, but (Bailey and Bavis) were dedicated to their profession, and they would want us getting on the ice and getting after it," Kings coach Andy Murray said.

But with every stride, the scouts will be remembered. Kings players are wearing a patch on their uniforms, over their hearts, with the initials AM (Ace and Mark) cut out of a stars-and-stripes pattern. On their warmups, Kings coaches are wearing a black patch with the Kings' crown and the names Ace and Mark.

On Tuesday, when the Kings opened their preseason in L.A. against Anaheim, the team donated $150,000 on behalf of Bailey and Bavis to the families of police and firefighters killed in the New York attack.

"This is a major tragedy," Murray said. "You think about (Bailey and Bavis) getting on the plane, excited to get to camp, excited to see the prospects they helped bring to our team, excited to see them on the ice. Then you see this kind of tragedy happen, and you think of what they must have gone through."

Bailey, 53, spent 32 years in the NHL as a player and scout, and his fun-loving reputation was known throughout the league. Bailey was one of Wayne Gretzky's linemates when the latter joined the Edmonton Oilers of the WHA in 1978, and Bailey is recalled fondly in Gretzky's 1994 autobiography.

"One Christmas, Ace's wife told him to go out and get them a Christmas tree," Gretzky wrote. "Well, Ace looked and looked but never found one he wanted -- until he got back home. There it was, the perfect Christmas tree, right in his own backyard. We cut it down, brought it inside and his wife never knew the difference.

"He called me over the week after Christmas to try to help him nail it back in place."

In the aftermath of the attacks, tighter security will be in place for Saturday's game, which begins at 7:30.

Fans will be required to pass through metal detectors and more security officers will be on duty, according to Scott Ghertner, MGM MIRAGE director of sports and promotions. A crowd of about 9,000 is expected.

"We are using the same heightened security measures that we would use for any other event in this mode," Ghertner said. "The property and the company will do everything to ensure the safety of our guests and employees."

Tickets are available at the box office and TicketMaster (474-4000).