Buffalo Bandits

Buffalo Bandits

Team logo
Division Eastern
Founded 1991
Home arena First Niagara Center
Based in Buffalo, New York
Colors Orange, Black, Purple
Head coach Troy Cordingley
General manager Steve Dietrich
Owner(s) Terrence Pegula
Local media WWKB, WGR, WGWE
Championships 1992, 1993, 1996, 2008
Division Championships 1993, 1994, 1996, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2016
PLPA representative Canada John Tavares
Website www.bandits.com

The Buffalo Bandits are a professional Box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL)'s Eastern Division. 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 Terry Pegula that also owns the Buffalo Sabres and the Buffalo Bills.

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.

As of 2016, Buffalo is the longest tenured team in the NLL, in terms of continuous years in their home city, at 25 seasons. (They are not the longest tenured franchise; the New England Black Wolves operate on the franchise of the Philadelphia Wings and the Colorado Mammoth were originally the Baltimore Thunder with previous stops as the Pittsburgh Crossefire in 2000 and Washington Power in 2001 & 2002.)

Awards and honors

During the 2009 season, Mark Steenhuis set two league records for most assists (13) and points (17) in a single game. He was also selected to his fifth all-star game, second consecutive as a starter.
Year Player Award
1992 Derek Keenan Rookie of the Year
John Tavares Championship Game MVP
1993 John Tavares Championship Game MVP
1994 John Tavares NLL Most Valuable Player
1996 Pat O'Toole Championship Game MVP
2000 John Tavares NLL Most Valuable Player
2001 John Tavares NLL Most Valuable Player
2003 Darris Kilgour Les Bartley Award
2005 Steve Dietrich Goaltender of the Year[3]
2006 Steve Dietrich Goaltender of the Year[4]
Steve Dietrich NLL Most Valuable Player[5]
2007 Dave Zygaj Executive of the Year[6]
2008 Mark Steenhuis Transition Player of the Year[7]
Mark Steenhuis Champion's Cup MVP
2009
Billy Dee Smith Defenesive Player of the Year
Ken Montour Goaltender of the Year

NLL Hall of Fame members

NLL records

Single-game record holders

Season record holders

All-time record holders

NLL All-Star Game

* - voted as starter

Current roster

Buffalo Bandits roster
Active (20-man) roster Inactive roster Coaches
Goaltenders
Defensemen
Forwards
Transition
Injured Reserve
Head Coach
Assistant Coaches

Equipment Manager

  • Ted Cordingley

Legend
  • * Suspended list
  • (C) Captain
  • (A) Alternate captain

Roster updated 2016-05-01
NLL Transactions

All-time record

The 2008 NLL Championship Game at First Niagara Center on May 17, 2008
League Champions Division Champions League Leader
Season Division W-L Finish Home Road GF GA Coach Playoffs
1992 National 5-3 2nd 2-2 3-1 161 125 Bob "Buff" McCready[8]
Les Bartley
Won Championship
1993 National 8-0 1st 4-0 4-0 143 108 Les Bartley Won Championship
1994 National 6-2 1st 3-1 3-1 121 99 Les Bartley Lost Championship
1995   3-5 4th 2-2 1-3 109 108 Les Bartley Lost in semifinals
1996   8-2 T-1st 3-2 5-0 172 127 Les Bartley Won Championship
1997   6-4 3rd 3-2 3-2 158 153 Les Bartley Lost Championship
1998   6-6 4th 4-2 2-4 166 171 Les Wakeling Lost in semifinals
1999   4-8 6th 1-5 3-3 158 177 Les Wakeling Did not qualify
2000   8-4 2nd 5-1 3-3 202 194 Ted Sawicki Lost in semifinals
2001   8-6 5th 4-3 4-3 248 218 Ted Sawicki Did not qualify
2002 Central 8-8 4th 4-4 4-4 210 215 Ted Sawicki
Frank Neilson
Did not qualify
2003 Central 12-4 T-1st 8-0 4-4 231 188 Darris Kilgour Lost in semifinals
2004 Eastern 8-8 3rd 4-4 4-4 205 198 Darris Kilgour Lost Championship
2005 Eastern 11-5 2nd 5-3 6-2 217 183 Darris Kilgour Lost in division semifinals
2006 Eastern 11-5 1st 6-2 5-3 193 167 Darris Kilgour Lost Championship
2007 Eastern 10-6 2nd 6-2 4-4 249 194 Darris Kilgour Lost in division finals
2008 Eastern 10-6 T-1st 7-2 3-4 203 174 Darris Kilgour Won Championship
2009 Eastern 10-6 T-1st 5-3 5-3 223 170 Darris Kilgour Lost in division finals
2010 Eastern 8-8 T-3rd 4-4 4-4 169 170 Darris Kilgour Lost in division semifinals
2011 Eastern 10-6 1st 4-4 6-2 169 159 Darris Kilgour Lost in division finals
2012 Eastern 7-9 T-2nd 4-4 3-5 198 204 Darris Kilgour Lost in division semifinals
2013 Eastern 6-10 4th 2-6 4-4 171 211 Darris Kilgour Did not qualify
2014 Eastern 8-10 3rd 6-3 2-7 190 200 Troy Cordingley Lost in division finals
2015 Eastern 11-7 3rd 7-2 4-5 236 208 Troy Cordingley Lost in division semifinals
2016 Eastern 13-5 1st 8-1 5-4 251 214 Troy Cordingley TBD
Total 25 seasons 206-142   112-63 94-75 4,711 4,330    
Playoff Totals   22-16 .578 15-6 6-9 475 439     4 Championships Won

All-time team-by-team records

(active NLL franchises only)

    Home   Road   Overall
Team GP W L PCT GP W L PCT GP W L PCT
Calgary Roughnecks 2 2 0 1.000 7 3 4 .429 9 5 4 .556
Colorado Mammoth 7 3 4 .429 3 0 3 .000 10 3 7 .300
    as Washington Power 2 1 1 .500 2 2 0 1.000 4 3 1 .750
    as Pittsburgh CrosseFire 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000 1 0 1 .000
    as Baltimore Thunder 8 6 2 .750 5 4 1 .800 13 10 3 .769
Edmonton Rush 1 0 1 .000 3 1 2 .333 4 1 3 .250
Minnesota Swarm 13 11 2 .846 8 6 2 .750 21 17 4 .810
Philadelphia Wings 30 18 12 .600 25 11 14 .440 55 29 26 .527
Rochester Knighthawks 27 13 14 .481 30 11 19 .367 57 24 33 .421
Toronto Rock 21 6 15 .286 20 11 9 .550 41 17 24 .415
    as Ontario Raiders 1 1 0 1.000 1 0 1 .000 2 1 1 .500
Washington Stealth 2 0 2 .000 3 2 1 .667 5 2 3 .400
    as San Jose Stealth 1 1 0 1.000 1 1 0 1.000 2 2 0 1.000
    as Albany Attack 4 3 1 .750 4 3 1 .750 8 6 2 .750
Total (active franchises) 119 65 54 .546 113 55 58 .487 232 120 112 .517
Total (defunct franchises) 96 74 22 .771

Playoff results

Season Game Visiting Home
1992 Division Semifinal Boston Blazers 16 Buffalo Bandits 22
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 19 Detroit Turbos 16
Championship Buffalo Bandits 11 Philadelphia Wings 10 (OT)
1993 Division Final Boston Blazers 10 Buffalo Bandits 12
Championship Philadelphia Wings 12 Buffalo Bandits 13
1994 Division Final Detroit Turbos 10 Buffalo Bandits 16
Championship Philadelphia Wings 26 Buffalo Bandits 15
1995 Semifinals Philadelphia Wings 19 Buffalo Bandits 16
1996 Semifinals Rochester Knighthawks 10 Buffalo Bandits 18
Championship Philadelphia Wings 10 Buffalo Bandits 15
1997 Semifinals New York Saints 10 Buffalo Bandits 19
Championship Rochester Knighthawks 15 Buffalo Bandits 12
1998 Semifinals Buffalo Bandits 12 Philadelphia Wings 17
2000 Semifinals Rochester Knighthawks 15 Buffalo Bandits 11
2003 Quarterfinals Calgary Roughnecks 9 Buffalo Bandits 16
Semifinals Buffalo Bandits 13 Rochester Knighthawks 16
2004 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 13 Rochester Knighthawks 9
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 19 Toronto Rock 10
Championship Buffalo Bandits 11 Calgary Roughnecks 14
2005 Division Semifinal Rochester Knighthawks 17 Buffalo Bandits 16
2006 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 11 Minnesota Swarm 10
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 15 Rochester Knighthawks 10
Championship Colorado Mammoth 16 Buffalo Bandits 9
2007 Division Semifinal Minnesota Swarm 8 Buffalo Bandits 14
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 13 Rochester Knighthawks 14 (OT)
2008 Division Semifinal Philadelphia Wings 12 Buffalo Bandits 14
Division Final New York Titans 12 Buffalo Bandits 19
Championship Portland LumberJax 13 Buffalo Bandits 14
2009 Division Semifinal Boston Blazers 8 Buffalo Bandits 11
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 3 New York Titans 9
2010 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 11 Toronto Rock 13
2011 Division Semifinal Boston Blazers 10 Buffalo Bandits 11
Division Final Buffalo Bandits 11 Toronto Rock 12
2012 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 6 Toronto Rock 7
2014 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 15 Toronto Rock 13
Division Final 1 Rochester Knighthawks 8 Buffalo Bandits 12
Division Final 2 Buffalo Bandits 8 Rochester Knighthawks 13
Division Final 3 Buffalo Bandits 1 Rochester Knighthawks 2
2015 Division Semifinal Buffalo Bandits 11 Rochester Knighthawks 14
2016 Division Final 1 Buffalo Bandits Georgia/New England
Division Final 2 Georgia/New England Buffalo Bandits

All-time team-by-team playoff records

defunct franchises in italics

    Home   Road   Overall
Team GP W L PCT GP W L PCT GP W L PCT
Boston Blazers 2 2 0 1.000 0 0 0 2 2 0 1.000
Calgary Roughnecks 1 1 0 1.000 1 0 1 .000 2 1 1 .500
Colorado Mammoth 1 0 1 .000 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000
Detroit Turbos 1 1 0 1.000 1 1 0 1.000 2 2 0 1.000
Minnesota Swarm 2 2 0 1.000 0 0 0 2 2 0 1.000
New York Saints 1 1 0 1.000 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.000
New York Titans 1 1 0 1.000 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.000
    as Orlando Titans 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000 1 0 1 .000
Philadelphia Wings 5 3 2 .600 2 1 1 .500 7 4 3 .571
Portland LumberJax 1 1 0 1.000 0 0 0 1 1 0 1.000
Rochester Knighthawks 6 3 3 .500 6 1 5 .200 12 4 8 .333
Toronto Rock 0 0 0 4 2 3 .400 5 2 3 .400
Total 21 15 6 .714 15 5 10 .333 36 20 16 .556

Head coaching history

# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1 Bob McCready 1992 3 0 3 .000
2 Les Bartley 19921997 49 36 13 .735 12 9 3 .750
3 Les Wakeling 19981999 24 10 14 .417 1 0 1 .000
4 Ted Sawicki 20002002 35 21 14 .600 1 0 1 .000
5 Frank Neilson 2002 7 3 4 .429
6 Darris Kilgour 20032013 176 103 73 .585 20 11 9 .550
7 Troy Cordingley 2014- 54 32 22 .593 4 2 3 .400

Draft history

NLL Entry Draft

First Round Selections

NLL Dispersal Draft

NLL Expansion Draft

Retired numbers

The Bandits have four 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[11]
11 John Tavares, F, number retired March 11, 2016

Equipment Manager- John Craig, February 2, 2012 (retired by the Bandits and given a ceremony)

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.

Footnotes and references

  1. The Baltimore Thunder won the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League championship in the first year of their existence as well (1987), but that was the first year the league existed.
  2. The Toronto Rock won a championship in its first season in Toronto (1999), but the franchise had already played one year in Hamilton as the Ontario Raiders.
  3. "Dietrich Named Aquis Goaltender of the Year". NLL.com. May 4, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  4. "Steve Dietrich Named RBK Goaltender of the Year". NLL website. May 3, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  5. "Dietrich Wins 2006 Jet Blue MVP Award". NLL website. May 11, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  6. "Dave Zygaj Named NLL Executive of the Year". NLL.com. May 7, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  7. "Steenhuis Named Top Transition Player". NLL.com. May 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  8. Buff McCready only coached the Bandits for the first three games.
  9. Acquired the first overall pick and selected Chris Langdale from Toronto
  10. "http://www.lacrosse-network.com/outsidersguide/news010322.htm". Outsider's Guide. March 22, 2001. Retrieved 2008-06-10. External link in |title= (help)
  11. 1 2 "http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=Features&aID=242". Bandits.com. April 13, 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-17. External link in |title= (help)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buffalo Bandits.
Preceded by
Detroit Turbos
Major Indoor Lacrosse League Champions
1992, 1993
Succeeded by
Philadelphia Wings
Preceded by
Philadelphia Wings
Major Indoor Lacrosse League Champions
1996
Succeeded by
Rochester Knighthawks
Preceded by
Rochester Knighthawks
National Lacrosse League Champions
2008
Succeeded by
Calgary Roughnecks
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