MOLINE, Ill. — Legendary players of the Quad City Mallards returned to town for a fierce rivalry game to benefit charity.
"I'm here to celebrate the Mallards and the history that they gave us," one fan said.
More than 6,000 fans packed the TaxSlayer Center Friday, March 4 as the Mallards faced the Flint Generals in what was known as the "Heroes versus Villains."
"We love the rivalry of the Quad Cities and the Flint Generals," a fan said.
"I haven't seen the Mallards play since '95," another fan said. "I went to high school and got to meet them all."
It's considered one of the greatest match-ups in Quad Cities sports history.
"It's a lot of memories," a fan said. "The kids can learn something from it. All of the things that are on here, it's a memory for them."
"I was able to touch and raise the Colonial Cup with them, with Mark McFarland and all of them," another fan said.
Players from the 90s all came back to town and hit the ice.
"It feels great man," player Mark McFarlane said. "It feels great to be back and great to see the fans."
"I never really experienced anything like it in my career as far as the support we got," player Steve Chelios said.
"This is great," player Brendan Brooks said. "It kind of brings back a lot of memories."
The battle raised money for breast cancer awareness.
"Some of the best times I ever had have been right here in the Quad Cities," McFarland said.
Flint Generals took home the win 7-4 against the Quad City Mallards.
The Mallards made its Quad Cities debut in 1995. The team went on to win the Colonial Cup in the late 90s and early 2000s. It was sold in 2018 before the Quad City Storm came to town.