Meta Description: 25 years after 9/11, the story of LA Kings scout Garnet Ace Bailey and the two NHL scouts lost on Flight 11, and how their deaths ended a 25-year unwritten scouting flight system in hockey.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: Who was Garnet Ace Bailey and how did he die?
- A: Garnet Ace Bailey was an LA Kings scout who died on American Airlines Flight 11 during the 9/11 attacks.
- Q: What was the NHL scouting flight system?
- A: It was an unwritten 25-year practice where NHL scouts traveled together on shared work flights to cover prospects, functioning as an informal league-wide scouting network.
- Q: Why was the system abolished after 9/11?
- A: The deaths of Bailey and two other scouts on Flight 11 forced the NHL to quietly end the shared flight practice for safety and liability reasons.
- Q: Is the scouting flight system still in use today?
- A: No. The system was permanently discontinued after 2001 and scouts now travel independently with stricter protocols.