Buffalo Bandits facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Buffalo Bandits

Sport	Box lacrosse
Founded	1992
League	National Lacrosse League
Conference	Eastern
Location	Buffalo, New York
Arena	KeyBank Center
Colors	Orange, Purple, Black, White
Owner	Terry Pegula
Head coach	John Tavares
General manager	Steve Dietrich
League titles	6 (1992, 1993, 1996, 2008, 2023, 2024)
Conference titles	2 (2022, 2023)
Division titles	8 (1993, 1994, 1996, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2019)
Local media	WNLO, WWKB, WGR
Retired numbers	4 (11, 16, 34, 43)
Current season

The Buffalo Bandits are a professional box lacrosse team. They play in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Their home arena is the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Bandits started in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) in 1992. They joined the NLL in 1998 when the MILL became the NLL.

The team is owned by Hockey Western New York LLC. This group is led by Terry Pegula. He also owns other sports teams like the Rochester Americans, Buffalo Sabres, and Buffalo Bills.

Team History

The Colorado Mammoth playing against the Buffalo Bandits in the 2022 NLL Cup Finals.

The Buffalo Bandits played their very first season in 1992. Their early home games were at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. They shared this arena with the Buffalo Sabres until it closed in 1996.

The Bandits made history right away. They were the first new team in the MILL/NLL to win a championship in their first year! They won again in their second season, in 1993. That year, they had a perfect season, winning every game. They lost the championship in their third season but won their third title in 1996. It wasn't until 1999, their eighth season, that the Bandits missed the playoffs.

After their 1996 championship, the Bandits reached the NLL Championship game three more times. These were in 1997, 2004, and 2006. However, they lost each of those games, including two at home. Finally, in 2008, the Bandits won their fourth championship. They beat Portland in a close game, 14–13.

The Bandits lost in the finals three more times before winning their fifth championship in 2023. They defeated the Colorado Mammoth in the third and final game of the series, with a score of 13–4. The very next year, in 2024, the Bandits won their sixth championship. They swept the Albany FireWolves to claim the title. This win tied them with Toronto for the most league championships. Their strong rivalry with Toronto has often kept that team from reaching the championships.

As of 2024, the Buffalo Bandits are the longest-running team in the NLL. They have been in their home city for 33 seasons straight.

Player Awards and Honors

During the 2009 season, Mark Steenhuis set two league records for most assists (13) and points (17) in a single game.

Many Bandits players and coaches have won important awards. Here are some of them:

NLL Hall of Fame Members

Several Bandits players and staff have been honored in the NLL Hall of Fame:

• Les Bartley, Head Coach, 2006
• Darris Kilgour, Forward, 2007
• John Mouradian, General Manager, 2008
• Jim Veltman, Defense, 2009
• Rich Kilgour, Transition, 2010
• Steve Dietrich, Goaltender, 2012
• Pat O'Toole, Goaltender, 2013
• Tracey Kelusky, Forward, 2016
• John Tavares, Forward, 2016
• Pat McCready, Defense, 2021
• Shawn Williams, Forward, 2021

NLL Records Held by Bandits

The Bandits hold several impressive NLL records.

Single-Game Records

• Most assists in one game – Mark Steenhuis (13 assists, February 14, 2009)
• Most points in one game – Mark Steenhuis (17 points, February 14, 2009)

Season Records

• Most points in one season – Dhane Smith (137 points, 2016)
• Most goals in one season – Dhane Smith (72 goals, 2016)
• Most assists in one season – Dhane Smith (101 assists, 2024)

All-Time Career Records

• Most goals in a career – John Tavares (724 goals, 1991–2015)
• Most assists in a career – John Tavares (823 assists, 1991–2015)
• Most points in a career – John Tavares (1,547 points, 1991–2015)
• Most saves in a career – Matt Vinc (8,299 saves 2005–Present)
• Most wins in a career – Matt Vinc (119 wins 2005–Present)
• Most minutes played – Matt Vinc (12,627:54 2005–Present)

NLL All-Star Game Selections

Many Bandits players have been chosen for the 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*
• 2011: Chris White, Mark Steenhuis, John Tavares, Brett Bucktooth
• 2012: Billy Dee Smith, Scott Self, Chris White, John Tavares, Mike Thompson

* – voted as starter

Current Roster

Team Records

The Buffalo Bandits have a long history of games. Here's a summary of their performance:

Playoff Highlights

The Bandits have had many exciting playoff runs. They have won six championships!

Head Coaching History

Here are the coaches who have led the Buffalo Bandits:

Draft History

The Bandits pick new players through the NLL Entry Draft. Here are their top picks in the first round:

NLL Entry Draft First Round Selections

Retired Numbers

The Bandits have honored four special players by retiring their jersey numbers. These numbers will never be worn by another Bandits player. Three of these numbers are displayed in the arena rafters.

• 34 Thomas Gardner, honored March 20, 1999. He was also a youth lacrosse organizer in western New York.
• 43 Darris Kilgour, Forward, honored March 25, 2001.
• 16 Rich Kilgour, Defense, honored April 16, 2011.
• 11 John Tavares, Forward, honored March 11, 2016.

Game Broadcasts

You can listen to Buffalo Bandits games on Buffalo's Entercom radio stations. These are usually WGR 550 AM or WWKB 1520 AM. John Gurtler, who used to announce for the Buffalo Sabres, does the play-by-play. Former Bandit Randy Mearns provides color commentary.

All Bandits games are also available to watch on ESPN+. Some games are shown nationally on ESPN Linear Networks. Locally in Buffalo, you can find select games on WNLO CW23.

See also

• Buffalo Bandits seasons
• Buffalo Bandits all-time roster