Buffalo Bandits facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Buffalo Bandits

Sport	Box lacrosse
Founded	1992
League	National Lacrosse League
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	7 (1992, 1993, 1996, 2008, 2023, 2024, 2025)
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 from Buffalo, New York. They play in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Their home games are held at KeyBank Center.

The Bandits started playing in 1992 in a league called the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL). In 1998, the league changed its name to the NLL. The Bandits are one of the oldest teams in the NLL. They are also the oldest team still playing in their original city. With 7 league titles, they hold the record for the most championships in the NLL.

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

Team History

The three NLL Cups won by the Bandits in the 2020s. The cup on the left was awarded in 2024, the cup in the center was awarded in 2025, and the cup on the right was awarded in 2023.

The Buffalo Bandits played their first season in 1992. They shared their home arena, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, with the Buffalo Sabres until 1996.

The Bandits made history by winning a championship in their very first season. They won again in their second season, completing the league's only perfect season ever. After losing the championship game in their third season, they won their third title in 1996. It wasn't until 1999 that the Bandits missed the playoffs for the first time.

After their 1996 championship, the Bandits reached the NLL Championship game three more times (1997, 2004, 2006) but lost each time. In 2008, they finally won their fourth championship, beating Portland 14–13. The Bandits lost in the finals three more times before winning their fifth championship in 2023. They defeated the Colorado Mammoth 13–4 in the final game of the series.

The next year, in 2024, the Bandits won their sixth title by sweeping the Albany FireWolves. In 2025, they secured their third championship in a row, making it their seventh overall title. This "three-peat" is a rare achievement in professional sports.

As of 2025, the Buffalo Bandits have been in their home city for 33 continuous seasons. This makes them the longest-tenured team in the NLL. They also have the highest attendance in the league, with over 18,000 fans per game in 2025.

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.

Many Bandits players and staff have received special awards. Here are some of them:

NLL Hall of Fame Members

Several Bandits players and staff have been inducted into 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 Players

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 (103 assists, 2025)

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 Appearances

Many Bandits players have been chosen to play in 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 Team Roster

Team Records and Playoff History

The Buffalo Bandits have a long history of games. Here's a summary of their regular season and playoff results.

Playoff Game Results

The Bandits have played many exciting playoff games. Here are their results:

Head Coaching History

The Colorado Mammoth visit the Buffalo Bandits in Game 3 of the 2022 NLL Cup Finals

Here are the head coaches who have led the Buffalo Bandits:

Retired Numbers

The Bandits have honored four players by retiring their jersey numbers. These numbers are displayed at the arena alongside the championship banners.

• 34 Thomas Gardner, honored March 20, 1999
• 43 Darris Kilgour, F, honored March 25, 2001
• 16 Rich Kilgour, D, honored April 16, 2011
• 11 John Tavares, F, honored March 11, 2016

Game Broadcasts

You can listen to Buffalo Bandits games on Buffalo's Audacy radio stations, either 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 games are also available to watch on ESPN+. Some games are shown nationally on ESPN Linear Networks. Locally in Buffalo, you can watch select games on WNLO CW23. The Bandits games are very popular on WNLO, often getting higher ratings than other shows on that network.

See Also

• Buffalo Bandits seasons
• Buffalo Bandits all-time roster