Players Visit Trade Center Site

A special tour of the World Trade Center site was arranged for the Mighty Ducks Sunday morning, an emotional moment for the 15 players, coaches and staff who went.

Left wing Marty McInnis was particularly affected. McInnis grew up with King scout Mark Bavis, who died in one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.

“We played squirt hockey [in Boston],” McInnis said. “He and his twin brother went to Boston University and I went to Boston College.

“You see all the destruction, obviously, and then walk over to see the memorials they have put together, with all the firemen and flight attendants and the notes people wrote, people who lost fathers and sons. It is just a horrible thing. Meanwhile, you’re losing five games in a row. It kind of puts things in perspective.”

The Ducks gave workers at the site the team’s 30 allotted tickets for Sunday’s game against the New York Rangers.

“The workers are unbelievable,” McInnis said. “How they tell you about everything. We just wanted to pay our respects to them and say thank you.”

The Ducks brought back other emotions as well. Goalie Steve Shields, who visited Columbine High School site with the San Jose Sharks after the shootings there, was angry.

“It was sad, when you realize almost 4,000 people died there,” Shields said. “You hate to go as a tourist, and gawk at the scene. But I think everyone should get that perspective. A year or two down the road, if we’re still fighting this war, people need to keep that in mind.”

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Michael Eisner, chairman of the Walt Disney Co., which owns the Ducks, visited the Duck dressing room after the team’s 3-2 victory.

Eisner has been a rare sight at Duck games in recent seasons. Disney officials have reportedly been trying to sell the team.