Twenty-three years ago today, the Stingrays lost an important member of their family. Former Stingray Mark Bavis was working as an Amateur Scout for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and was on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles. At 9:03 a.m., the plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center, killing all 56 passengers and nine crew members.
Mark Bavis grew up in Roslindale, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, in a family of eight children. He was extremely close with his twin brother, Mike. The Bavis twins played youth hockey together and then attended Catholic Memorial High School. After a year of prep school at Cushing Academy, they went on to play college hockey at Boston University before spending parts of two seasons playing for the Stingrays.
In four seasons at BU, from 1989-1993, Mark Bavis tallied 34 goals and 51 assists for 85 points and twice received the Bennet McInnis Award for Team Spirit, sharing the honor each time with Mike. In the Bavis twins’ four years at BU, the Terriers advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four years and reached the 1991 NCAA National Championship game. The Terriers also won three Beanpot titles and one Hockey East Championship.
In 1994-95 with the Stingrays, the Bavis brothers helped South Carolina capture their first South Division title.
Stingrays President Rob Concannon grew up playing hockey against the Bavis twins and also played alongside them on a youth hockey team composed of kids whose fathers were police officers in the Boston area.
“I had just finished Training Camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they asked me to come to Charleston, South Carolina, to play for the Stingrays,” said Concannon. “I spoke to Rick Vaive, the coach at the time, and said, ‘No, I’m going home to Boston.' I reached out to Mark and Mike and they both suggested I give Charleston a try. They told me about Charleston, how nice everyone is, and the Stingrays organization. I gave it a shot, and now it’s 29 years later, and Charleston is home.”
Concannon spent the first year of his professional hockey career playing alongside Mark Bavis with the Stingrays in the 1995-96 season. That year, Mark Bavis tallied 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 44 games with the Stingrays in the final and most productive statistical season of his playing career.
Following his playing career, Mark Bavis served as an Assistant Coach at Brown University and Harvard University before working for the LA Kings from 1999 to 2001.
In 2003, the Stingrays inducted Mark Bavis in their inaugural Hall of Fame class and retired his No. 12 Stingrays jersey. Today, Mark Bavis is one of four Stingrays to have his jersey number retired. It’s hard for Concannon to talk about losing Mark Bavis, but he wants people to remember Bavis and his connection to the Charleston community.
“Charleston was a special place to Mark,” said Concannon. “I will always remember how much he loved the beaches and restaurants. Even when he was done playing here, he would try to come back to visit. Mark was always a huge supporter of Stingrays hockey. He was a great teammate and friend to many, and we miss him today and every day.”
The Bavis family established the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation in Mark’s memory. It 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. Since its inception, the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation has raised over $400,000 towards its goal of $1,000,000. The foundation honors Mark’s role as a mentor to the many young men and women who sought his advice about sports, academics, and careers.
Stingrays fans can support the Mark Bavis Leadership Foundation at this link.
