Garnet "Ace" Bailey was a big bear of a man with a huge heart and a quick sense of humor. His famous dimpled smile would instantly light up a room. Doing anything with Ace, no matter how mundane, was always an adventure full of laughing and fun. He had the rare gift of making everyone feel at ease. Those who met him, even once, considered him a true friend. Ace sometimes visited pediatric hospitals and was once brought to tears when a terminally ill child that he had befriended named his goldfish “Ace.”

He was a family man who would rather be at home with his wife Kathy and son Todd than anywhere else on earth. Ace had a special love for children and children in turn took an immediate liking to him. Kids could instantly recognize his lack of pretense and his sense of mischief. He delighted children by talking like Donald Duck, presenting endless surprises, and amusing them for hours on end; after all, he was at heart, a perennial child himself.

Ace provided new sports gear anonymously to many kids who wouldn’t have it otherwise. During his playing years he never passed-by a child who wanted his autograph and often got other players to give their autographs too. If the timing was right, Ace sometimes threw in a trip to the locker room to the astonishment of the wide-eyed boy and his Dad.

Ace played eleven seasons with the National Hockey League. He won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 1969-70 and 1971-72. He went on to play for the Detroit Red Wings, the St. Louis Blues, the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers. When Ace's playing career ended following the 1979-80 season he moved first to coaching and then to scouting. In his roles as player and then scout, Ace earned seven Stanley Cup Rings.

On September 11th Ace was flying to Los Angeles to begin training camp with the Los Angeles Kings' hockey team where he was Director of Pro Scouting.