Former Hockey Coach Killed in Hijacking

Mark Bavis, a former Harvard hockey assistant coach and scout for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), died following Tuesday’s terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He was 31.

Bavis was a passenger onboard United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston to Los Angeles, which was hijacked Tuesday morning and steered into the second World Trade Center tower at 9:05 a.m.

Bavis served as an assistant coach for Harvard hockey from 1997 through 1999 under former head coach Ronn Tomassoni. Bavis also had strong local ties—he played hockey at Catholic Memorial High School in Boston and attended Boston University (B.U.), where he played four years of varsity hockey.

“We’re certainly deeply saddened by Mark’s passing,” said Jack Parker, head coach of the B.U. hockey team. “This is such an unbelievable and senselessly tragic event.”

The Harvard Department of Athletics sent condolences to the Bavis family, assistant athletic director for media relations John Veneziano said.

“Mark’s death hit home to a lot of people at Harvard,” Veneziano said.

Bavis’s B.U. hockey ties also run in the family. His twin brother, Mike, played alongside Bavis in college and is currently entering his fourth year as an assistant coach with the Terriers’ hockey program.

“Both he and his twin brother, Mike, were great players for the program and I’m sure Mark will be sorely missed by his brother,” Parker said.

Both Bavis brothers were recipients of the hockey team’s “Spirit Award” for two consecutive years. Parker cited this as an example of what the brothers meant to the team.

Mike Bavis, who was in Calgary on a recruiting trip Tuesday when the attack occurred, was unable to fly back to Boston and is attempting to drive back, Parker said.

Mark Bavis, who hailed from Roslindale, Mass., also played three seasons of minor league hockey for the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens organizations.