Buffalo Bandits

The Buffalo Bandits are a team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). They play at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits played in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1992 to 1997, until the MILL turned into the NLL in 1998.

The Bandits are owned by Hockey Western New York LLC, the consortium led by Terrence Pegula that also owns the Buffalo Sabres.

The Bandits played their first season in 1992. They played home games at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium sharing with the Buffalo Sabres until its closure in 1996.

The Bandits became the first expansion franchise in MILL/NLL history^[1][2] to win a championship in its first season. The Bandits repeated as champions in their second season (compiling the league's only perfect season to date that year), lost the Championship game their third season and captured their third Championship in 1996, their fifth season. It was not until 1999, their eighth season, that the Bandits did not make the playoffs.

Since their 1996 Championship-winning season, the Bandits returned to the NLL Championship game on three separate occasions (1997, 2004, 2006) only to lose each time (including twice at home). It wouldn't be until 2008 that the Bandits would win their elusive fourth Championship, a 14-13 triumph over Portland.

Awards & honors

NLL Hall of Fame members

• Les Bartley (class of 2006)
• Darris Kilgour, Tom Borrelli (class of 2007)
• Johnny Mouradian (class of 2008)
• Jim Veltman (class of 2009)

NLL records

Single-game record holders

• Most assists in a single game - Mark Steenhuis (13 assists, February 14, 2009)
• Most points in a single game - Mark Steenhuis (17 points, February 14, 2009)

Season record holders

• Most points in a single season - John Tavares (115 points, 2001)

All-time record holders

• Most goals in a career - John Tavares (724 goals, 1991–present)
• Most assists in a career - John Tavares (823 assists, 1991–present)
• Most points in a career - John Tavares (1,547 points, 1991–present)

NLL All-Star Game

• 2005: Kyle Couling, Mark Steenhuis, John Tavares*, Dan Teat
• 2006: Steve Dietrich, Mark Steenhuis, John Tavares*
• 2007: Pat McCready, Mark Steenhuis, John Tavares*
• 2008: Mark Steenhuis*, John Tavares*, Chris White
• 2009: Ken Montour*, Mark Steenhuis*, John Tavares, Roger Vyse, Chris White*

* - voted as starter

Current roster

All time record

• All stats present and accounted for as of 17-SEPT-2011

All-time Team-by-team Records

(active NLL franchises only)

• Arizona/Columbus, Chicago, and Portland are now defunct.
• Orlando (New York) is on hiatus.

Playoff Results

All-time Team-by-team Playoff Records

defunct franchises in italics

Head Coaching History

Draft History

NLL Entry Draft

First Round Selections

NLL Dispersal Draft

• 2002 from Montreal Express: Aime Caines (6th overall); Kelly Sullivan (18th overall)
• 2003 from Ottawa Rebel: Jason Clark (9th overall); Marc Landriault (20th overall); Mike Hamilton (31st overall)
• 2004 from Vancouver Ravens: Curt Malawsky (9th overall); Declined to pick (18th overall)
• 2005 from Anaheim Storm: Traded to Arizona (9th overall)
• 2007 from Arizona Sting & Boston Blazers: Craig Conn, Arizona (10th overall); Brian Croswell, Boston (15th overall); Joe Smith, Arizona (34th overall)
• 2008 from Arizona Sting: Greg Hinman (13th overall)
• 2008 from Chicago Shamrox: Cody Jacobs (12th overall); Cory Stringer (21st overall)

NLL Expansion Draft

• 1999 to Albany Attack: Troy Cordingley (3rd overall)
• 2001 to Calgary Roughnecks, New Jersey Storm, Vancouver Ravens & Columbus Landsharks^[9]: Rich Catton, Vancouver (3rd overall); Phil Wetherup, Columbus (4th overall); Andy Duden, Columbus (10th overall); Peter Talmo, New Jersey (21st overall)
• 2004 to Minnesota Swarm: Jason Clark (N/A overall)
• 2005 to Portland Lumberjax & Edmonton Rush: Mike Hominuck, Portland (1st overall); Thomas Montour, Portland (13th overall)
• 2006 to Chicago Shamrox & New York Titans: Bryan Kazarian, Chicago (13th overall); Jon Harasym, Portland (15th overall)
• 2007 to Boston Blazers: Brendan Thenhaus (7th overall)
• 2008 to Boston Blazers: Kyle Laverty (4th overall)

Retired numbers

The Bandits have three retired numbers, two of which are represented at the Arena in the rafters with the Championship banners.^{[10] [11]}

34 Thomas Gardner, western New York youth lacrosse organizer, number retired March 20, 1999
43 Darris Kilgour, F, 1992–1999, number retired March 25, 2001
16 Rich Kilgour, D, number retired April 16, 2011^[12]

Game Broadcasts

Buffalo Bandits games can be heard on WWKB-AM 1520 out of Buffalo, with a simulcast on WGWE-FM 105.9, the Seneca nation's radio station in Little Valley. John Gurtler, former play-by-play man for the Buffalo Sabres, handles announcing duties, while former Bandit Randy Mearns handles color commentary. Home games are streamed live on NLL.com with Brendan McDaniels on the play-by-play. Verizon FiOS customers can watch them on TV on tape delay. NLL.com also streams all Bandits away games live featuring the home teams' commentators. Time Warner Cable SportsNet also has Buffalo Bandits games the live broadcast and the day after channel 13.

Third jersey

On February 13, 2009, the Bandits unveiled their first-ever third (alternate) jersey at the Buffalo Sabres/San Jose Sharks game at HSBC Arena. While wearing the new jerseys, several players threw t-shirts to Sabres fans.

The next day, the Bandits wore their third jerseys for the first time when they took on the Toronto Rock.^[13]

The jersey is mostly orange with an enlarged version of the head of the character in the team's logo which covers the entire front. The only difference is the gray bandanna is orange instead. The bandanna extends to the back of the jersey where the player's name and number are displayed in a white font, different from the font of the current home and away jerseys. On the players' right arm is a generic styling of the team's nickname, while the word "BUFFALO" appears on the left. Orange numbers are placed on the shoulders in front of an orange background. A larger-than-normal number is placed on the lower right front of the jersey.

Footnotes and references

See also

• Buffalo Bandits seasons
• Buffalo Bandits all-time roster