1991-92 Kellogg’s Card #24 – Cornelius Rooster
During the 1991-92 season, a set of 24 hockey cards was issued in specially-marked boxes of Corn Flakes cereal. Superstars found in the set included Steve Yzerman, Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Brett Hull…and Cornelius Rooster. Though small in stature, the Corn Flakes’ famous mascot overshadows them all, putting up numbers that would make even The Golden Brett jealous.
The back of the card enlightens us of Cornelius’ enviable career. In 8 games during the 1990-91 season, he scored 32 goals and 22 assists for 54 points. His biography reads:
Cornelius Rooster is a power house with Team Kellogg’s on and off the ice. Although called a chicken early in life, he refused to be intimidated and has become the premier rooster of the NHL. He is known for his ability to fly around defense as if he has a birds-eye-view of the entire rink. Cornelius attributes his success to beginning every day at dawn with a bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.
If eating a bowl of Corn Flakes every morning resulted in me scoring 32 goals and 22 assists in only 8 games, then I’d do that in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d ground up and snort Corn Flakes – or even inject it into my bloodstream – if it made me score an average of 4 goals and 3 assists per game. Perhaps Corn Flakes should be added to the list of banned, performance-enhancing substances.
Clearly, whoever wrote these stats didn’t quite understand how hard it is to score a goal in an NHL hockey game, let alone 4. The author didn’t know much about roosters either, as they are incapable of long-range flight.
Regardless, Cornelius is indeed THE premier rooster of the NHL. But why stop with him? Where is the rest of Team Kellogg’s? Cornelius is a right wing; Toucan Sam of Froot Loops fame could play left wing on Team Kellogg’s top scoring line – centered by none other than Dig’Em Frog (Sugar Smacks). No doubt, Frosted Flakes mascot Tony the Tiger – aptly nicknamed Tony “Twist” the Tiger – would be the team’s enforcer; while the trio of Snap, Crackle and Pop from Rice Krispies would serve as Team Kellogg’s “energy line.”
If you believe what the price guides say, only the Roy and Hull cards from this set are worth more than Cornelius. True, it was short-printed, so that might be a reason why. Or maybe speculators hoarded monster boxes filled with this card, as was the common practice in the early 1990s, waiting for this cereal chanticleer to become the next Eric Lindros.