MOLINE, ILL. -- The Quad City Mallards celebrated their annual Military Appreciation Night on Feb. 8 at the iWireless Center to honor those who serve in the United States armed forces.
"I want to share my appreciation to the Rock Island Arsenal community for their support and participation with the military appreciation night," said Bob McNamara, Mallards' team president.
The Mallards played host to the "Seats for Soldiers" military appreciation night to recognize those who serve in the military. The team offered reduced price tickets to the community for purchase to donate to military personnel and their families.
"Numerous private citizens bought large blocks of tickets for this purpose including one family who bought over $200 worth of tickets," said McNamara. "Local businesses also took advantage of this opportunity to purchase donated tickets."
McNamara said, "The support was phenomenal and having different representatives from various commands on Arsenal Island for the puck drop was a memorable experience for me."
The first Sergeant Audie Murphy Club inductee for Army Sustainment Command, Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Favory, dropped the puck. Favory, and other selected military personnel, were also able to enter the locker room before the game and meet the players and coaches.
"They were able to spend almost 10 minutes with the players," said McNamara. "The players considered the meeting meaningful and very motivating." The Mallards defeated their opponents 9-6.
The military appreciation night has been around for a couple of years.
"I am new to the area only being here for roughly two months before the event," said McNamara. "The military appreciation night really jumped out at me out of all the events on the iWireless event schedule. The Island is such a large part of the fabric of the QC, I had to reach out to the Arsenal, and it made too much sense. Chuck Cervantes (Garrison protocol officer) was a major part in making this event happen. I give him credit for saying, 'Let's put everybody together to work on this.' The event planning started small, but eventually grew and everyone was very cooperative and we were willing to do whatever made sense to make this event happen."
McNamara said the goal of the night was to honor the military, and the large crowd that showed up, was a by-product of our event. It was a clear sign that QC families care and support the military in the local area and abroad, which is underscored by the fact that local Quad-City hockey franchises have held events such as this in the past.
"Military appreciation events are something that I planned and took part of in the locations I lived prior to coming to the QC," said McNamara. "Honoring our military is the right thing to do and is very important. Meeting and working with the Garrison personnel has been a pleasure. The relationship between the Mallards and Arsenal is new to me and I am unsure of its nature before I arrived. Meeting with the Garrison Manager Joel Himsl, Chuck, and others from the various commands, led to a very successful event. I want to continue this relationship between the Mallards and the Island … it makes sense. It's the right thing to do, and the people are phenomenal to work with."
Rock Island Arsenal commands set up displays and information tables in the concourse during the game and the iWireless center provided support.
"There were booths by the USO, Illinois National Guard and the Association of the United States Army; we almost got everyone we wanted involved," said McNamara. "If I had more time prior to the event, I would reach out to the other branches of service, but I'm unsure how prevalent they are in this area. This is why we mainly focused on the Army side of the Arsenal."
Even though the event just took place, McNamara is already planning future events.
"I would love to host a welcome-home event at some point," said McNamara. "I am talking with the USO to plan an event, possibly offering reduced priced tickets or locker room access. We want to continue to work with the Arsenal and continue to host military related events, during the season or in the off season."
The Mallards host various giveaways and promotions throughout the season.
"We always believe in improving our product and adding value for those who attend our events," said McNamara. "We want to attract a broad spectrum of people to come and enjoy a night with the Mallards."
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