Brendan Savage's column from the Flint Journal

Cornfield's self-serving acts hurting UHL Tuesday, October 17, 2000 By Brendan Savage Flint Journal sports column HOWARD Cornfield is no doubt proud when he should be ashamed. It was because of the Quad City vice president's stubborn, greedy and self-serving behavior that one of the best players in United Hockey League history was forced to leave the UHL and play in another league. In an age when the UHL is beginning to show real growth and attract better players every season, Cornfield decided to buck the trend because what's good for the league isn't necessarily good for his Mallards. So, King Howard forced Kevin Kerr to abandon the UHL and take his considerable talents elsewhere. Shame on you, Howie. It would have been one thing if Cornfield had handled the situation like a professional. But instead, he continued a pattern that began when he entered the UHL six years ago. As usual, Cornfield talked out of both sides of his mouth and no doubt would have reverted to ventriloquism if it would have been to his benefit. The whole mess began when Kerr's contract with the Mallards expired last season and the UHL's all-time leading goal scorer decided to play in Europe before his kids reached the age where they began school. Kerr didn't break his contract with Quad City, he simply decided to move on after helping the Mallards reach two Colonial Cup finals. But Howie didn't like it, and he decided to wait until he could get even. Cornfield smugly predicted to anyone who would listen that Kerr would be back in the United States by Oct. 1, something many others close to Kerr believed as well. They just didn't relish in it. When Kerr returned, he was hoping to play with the Flint Generals, where he enjoyed his greatest success with at least 50 goals, 100 points and 200 penalty minutes in five straight seasons. Cornfield assured Kerr he would try and do what was best for Kerr and his expanding family. But first, he suggested Kerr give Germany another try despite the fact that Kerr hated it there and his pregnant wife, Brandie, couldn't communicate with her new doctors. Cornfield's real motive? Keeping Kerr in Germany would give him an insurance policy if the Mallards started slowly and it would also have kept Kerr out of the UHL, where he could perhaps hurt the Mallards. Remember, the Mallards are more important than the rest of the league. When Kerr said no, that he'd prefer to play back in Quad City if a trade couldn't be arranged, Cornfield said the Mallards had no plans for Kerr. There team was already in place and Cornfield had six veterans he planned on keeping ahead instead of Kerr. That left a trade. But when Cornfield shopped Kerr to Flint, he asked for one of Flint's top five players - even though the player in question was somebody who wasn't among Quad City's top six. Hmmmm. When Muskegon tried to make a similar deal, Cornfield tried to pull the same stunt - even though he still had no plans for Kerr in Quad City. Even when Kerr offered to go to Adirondack - as far away from Quad City as you can get - Cornfield tried to hold the Icehawks for ransom and that deal fell through. When training camp opened, Cornfield had no choice but to offer Kerr a contract in order to keep his rights. So, in what was the ultimate slap in the face, he did indeed make an offer to the player who scored 49 goals a year ago, who was beloved by Quad City fans for his charity work and involvement in the community, somebody who has been a model citizen during seven All-Star seasons. He offered Kerr a 33 percent pay cut. The offer was less than Kerr played for in any of his previous seven UHL seasons. Yet Cornfield was going to do what was best for Kerr and his family. Give me a break. With no other choice, Kerr finally signed with Phoenix of the West Coast Hockey League, robbing the UHL of a good man who had scored almost 400 goals in seven seasons. Fortunately, the UHL has already said it will come up with some new rules next season to prevent the Cornfields of the world from taking advantage of the players, who don't have the luxury of being in the Professional Hockey Players Association like their counterparts in the IHL, AHL and ECHL. But that doesn't help Kerr. And it doesn't help the UHL's talent pool. Shame on you, Howie.