MOLINE, ILLINOIS (January 29, 2024) — Vibrant Arena Executive Director Scott Mullen and Former Quad City Mallards Owner/President/GM Howard Cornfield have announced that the Championship Era Quad City Mallards will return to the Quad Cities for a charity game against the United Hockey League Villains All Stars on Saturday, March 2, 7:05PM, at Vibrant Arena at The MARK.
All proceeds from the game will go towards the establishment of The Mallard Foundation which is currently being created to assist children and families facing critical medical issues and provide support to former Mallards players facing critical medical or personal emergencies.
This will be the second in a series of “Heroes vs Villains” Charity games featuring former Mallards and United Hockey League stars from the Classic Era of 1996-2005, which saw the Mallards dominate minor league hockey, winning more games than any other hockey team in the world over those nine seasons, including a record-breaking fifty wins in six consecutive seasons and three Colonial Cup Championships. In March of 2022, over 6000 fans attended a reunion Mallards vs Flint Generals Villains game, which helped raise nearly $90,000 to support local breast-cancer projects and the Quad City Veterans Outreach Center.
This year, many familiar Mallards heroes will return home to help raise funds to support their former teammates and the Quad Cities community once again. Former Mallards greats Kerry Toporowski, Steve Gibson, Travis Tucker, Howie Rosenblatt, Patty Nadeau, Ryan Lindsay, Paul Johnson, Steve Chelios, Andy Fermoyle, Drew Otten, Darren McMillan, Andy Faulkner, Carl Leblanc, Scott Smith, Ryan Black, Kelly Perrault, Marty Fillion, Martin Villeneuve, and Brendan Brooks have already committed to put on the Mallards jersey one more time with many more expected to be added to the roster of attendees.
“We look forward to taking the ice again, this time against some of the greatest players to play in the UHL. The intensity of the last game against the Generals was unexpectedly high and with Robbie Nichols back yapping behind the bench like a chihuahua, we will be ready to protect our home ice. This charity game is for a great cause in helping some of our teammates who have fallen on hard times as well as families in our community that need a helping hand. We hope our fans will fill the building for the Mallards one last time”, said former Mallards great Kerry Toporowski.
The Mallards will take on a formidable roster of UHL Villains All Stars featuring some of the greatest players in UHL history. The roster which continues to grow each day features many of the Mallards most notorious antagonist’s including Jim Duhart, Robbie Nichols, Todd Robinson, Tom Warden, Scott Burfoot, Frank Littlejohn, Dale Greenwood, Lorne Knauft, Jon Finstrom, and Brent Currie. Former NHL veteran Kevin Miller, who played over 600 games in the NHL is also expected to take the ice.
“I am coming back to the Quad Cities to win, just like I did for nearly a decade”, said former Flint Coach Robbie Nichols, who will coach the UHL Villains All Stars. “Many years ago, I was the target of chuck-a-puck with proceeds going towards cancer programs in the Quad Cities. With the exception of one fan who got lucky and hit me in my private area, Mallards’ fans' aim was awful. Maybe I will give them another chance.”
Arguably one of the most despised players of all time, former Flint Generals Great Jim Duhart has been instrumental in organizing the event with Mullen and Cornfield.
“Duey caused us much heartburn over the years, scoring huge goals and antagonizing our fans and players. Nonetheless, he has tried to atone for his misdeeds and has been a huge part of organizing these games and helping us raise a lot of money for charity in the Quad Cities. I am almost ready to adopt him as an honorary Mallard, which would be one of the highest honors of his life”, laughed Cornfield. “The most important part of this weekend is to raise money to help others. I don’t know how many more of these games we have left so this could be the final chance to see our great players wear the Mallards jersey.”
There will also be familiar faces wearing the official’s jerseys as Al Stensland and Peter Cichy will serve as linesmen while Ken Gallagher will referee.
Following the game, there will be a separately-ticketed Meet and Greet Reception in the Vibrant Arena Conference Center. Tickets for the game will go on sale at 10AM Friday at the Vibrant Arena Box Office and Ticketmaster.com. Game tickets will range from $10 to $35. Parking for the game will be free. A limited number of tickets will be available for a Post-Game Player Meet and Greet Reception in the Vibrant Arena Conference Center for $25 and will include complimentary beer, soda, and pizza.
