Mallards greats return to The MARK for charity

The championship-era Quad City Mallards will return to the Vibrant Arena at The MARK for a charity game against the United Hockey League Villains All Stars on Saturday, March 2 at 7:05 p.m.

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, according to a Monday release.  

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 50 wins in six consecutive seasons and three Colonial Cup Championships.

In March of 2022, over 6,000 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,” former Mallards great Kerry Toporowski said in Monday’s release.

“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,” he said. “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.”

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 antagonists, 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 chancr.”

One of the most despised players of all time, former Flint Generals great Jim Duhart has been instrumental in organizing the event with Vibrant Arena executive director Scott Mullen and former Mallards owner/GM Howard Cornfield. 

“Duey caused us much heartburn over the years, scoring huge goals and antagonizing our fans and players,” Cornfield said in the release. “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.”

“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,” he added.

Following the game, there will be a separately ticketed “meet and greet” reception in the Vibrant Arena Conference Center.

Tickets for the game ($10-$35) will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Vibrant Arena Box Office (1201 River Drive, Moline) and at Ticketmaster.

Parking for the game will be free. A limited number of tickets will be available for a post-game reception in the arena conference center for $25 and will include complimentary beer, soda and pizza. 

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