Watch CBS News

LA Kings Honor Scouts Lost On 9/11 With Mascot's Name

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Every appearance from the Los Angeles Kings mascot, Bailey, is a reminder of what the team lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

Los Angeles Kings Players Pay Tribute To 9/11 Victims
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 12: Former Los Angeles Kings Player Luc Robitaille and Los Angeles Kings Governor Tim Leiweke lay a plague at the reflexting pool above the engraved names of Garnet "Ace" Bailey, the Kings' director of pro scouting, and amateur scout Mark Bavis in lower Manhattan at the World Trade Center site on September 12, 2012 in New York City.The Los Angeles Kings felt the loss of Garnet "Ace" Bailey, the Kings' director of pro scouting, and amateur scout Mark Bavis when hijackers took control of their scheduled Boston-to-Los Angeles flight and crashed the plane into the south tower of New York's World Trade Center. (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

Ace Bailey and Mark Bavis were part of the club's scouting department in 2001. The two men were on board United Airlines Flight 175, the second plane to crash into the World Trade Center.

Luc Robitaille, the president of the LA Kings, said they were struggling in about 2008 to come up with a name for the mascot when they realized it was an opportunity.

Winnipeg Jets v Los Angeles Kings
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Los Angeles Kings mascot Bailey celebrates after a victory during the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at STAPLES Center on November 30, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images)

"We were talking, we were having meetings, and we were like, 'what are we going to name the mascot?' The mascot needs to have a purpose," Robitaille said. "And we just decided to go with his last name, Bailey."

In 2012, the team brought their newly won Stanley Cup to Ground Zero to celebrate their first championship title with Bailey and Bavis.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.