Twenty-five years ago today, the Stingrays and the hockey community lost an important member of their family, Mark Bavis.
Working as an amateur scout for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, Bavis was aboard United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles. At 9:03 a.m., the plane struck the South Tower of the World Trade Center, killing all 56 passengers and nine crew members aboard.
Bavis grew up in Roslindale, Mass., a neighborhood in Boston, and found a love for hockey at a young age. He grew up watching the Boston Bruins win two Stanley Cups and playing street and youth hockey alongside his twin brother, Mike. Both brothers attended Catholic Memorial High School in Boston before spending a year at Cushing Academy and continuing their playing careers at Boston University (BU).
They played for legendary head coach Jack Parker during their four seasons at BU, where the Terriers made the NCAA Tournament every year and reached the NCAA National Championship game in 1991. Boston University also won three Beanpot Championships, the annual tournament between BU, Boston College, Northeastern and Harvard.
Mark and Mike turned pro in 1993 and joined the Stingrays in 1994. During the 1994-95 season, Mark recorded 16 goals and 16 assists for 32 points, helping the Stingrays win their first South Division title.
Stingrays President Rob Concannon grew up playing hockey with the Bavis twins in Boston on a youth hockey team made up of children whose fathers were police officers in the Boston area. It was the brothers who eventually convinced Concannon to come to the Stingrays.
“I had just attended Toronto Maple Leafs camp and was cut,” said Concannon. “Rick Vaive was the head coach at the time and suggested that I come here. I went to Boston for a few days and talked to Mark and Mike about Charleston, and they told me if I ever came here, I would never move. I took their advice and almost 30 years later, the rest is history.”
Mark and Concannon played together during the 1995-96 season, when the Stingrays made the playoffs for a third straight season.
“I got the opportunity to play with Mark in my first year pro in 1995-96,” said Concannon. “He had been coming back and forth between the AHL and here, but he always loved it here. Even after he retired and got into coaching, he would always try to come down and spend time in Charleston because he missed it.”
After his playing career, Mark became an assistant coach at Harvard University before working for the L.A. Kings from 1999 to 2001. In 2003, he was inducted into the first Stingrays Hall of Fame class, and his No. 12 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters, forever immortalizing him in Stingrays history.
Every time you step into the North Charleston Coliseum, you can see his banner hanging from the rafters, a lasting reminder of the impact Mark Bavis had on the Stingrays and the Charleston community.
“Obviously, in his short time he was here, he made a big impression on some of the guys he played with like Brett Marietti, Jared Bednar and Jason Fitzsimmons,” said Concannon. “He was well liked by coaches and teammates, and he was one of those guys that worked hard and was a player every team needs. He loved the Stingrays and he loved his time in Charleston.”
Twenty-five years later, Mark’s impact and legacy continue to live on.
“It’s crazy to think it's been 25 years,” Concannon said. “It’s a day no one will ever forget where they were, what they were doing. I think it's a tough day for everybody, especially for his family and friends and people he impacted in his time.”
The Bavis family continues to make a difference by helping people follow their dreams through the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation. The foundation was created to allow deserving young men and women to enjoy opportunities and experiences similar to those that contributed to Mark becoming the person he was.
The foundation awards grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 to Massachusetts high school students who have made a difference in their communities or demonstrated leadership at their schools.
Stingrays fans can support the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation at this link.