1996 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season
Sports season
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The 1996 season is the 10th season of the league that began on December 30, 1995, and concluded with the championship game on April 12, 1996.
| 1996 MILL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major Indoor Lacrosse League |
| Sport | Indoor lacrosse |
| Duration | December 30, 1995 - April 12, 1996 |
| Games | 10 |
| Teams | 7 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN and ESPN2 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Buffalo Bandits |
| Runners-up | Philadelphia Wings |
| Season MVP | Gary Gait (Philadelphia Wings) |
| Top scorer | John Tavares (Buffalo Bandits) |
| Champion's Cup | |
| Champions | Buffalo Bandits (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Philadelphia Wings |
| Finals MVP | Pat O'Toole (Buffalo) |
Team movement
The Charlotte Cobras played their only season in 1996, in the process achieving the only winless season in the history of the league.
Teams
| 1996 Major Indoor Lacrosse League | |||||
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | ||
| Baltimore Thunder | Baltimore, Maryland | Baltimore Arena | 10,582 | ||
| Boston Blazers | Boston, Massachusetts | FleetCenter | 17,850 | ||
| Buffalo Bandits | Buffalo, New York | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | 16,325 | ||
| Charlotte Cobras | Charlotte, North Carolina | Independence Arena | 9,605 | ||
| New York Saints | Uniondale, New York | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 16,297 | ||
| Philadelphia Wings | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | CoreStates Spectrum | 17,380 | ||
| Rochester Knighthawks | Rochester, New York | Rochester Community War Memorial | 10,662 | ||
Map of teams
Major Indoor Lacrosse League Teams
Regular season
Reference: [1]
| P | Team | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | GF | GA | Diff | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo Bandits – xyz | 10 | 8 | 2 | .800 | 0.0 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 173 | 127 | +46 | 17.30 | 12.70 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Wings – x | 10 | 8 | 2 | .800 | 0.0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 165 | 114 | +51 | 16.50 | 11.40 |
| 3 | Boston Blazers – x | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2.0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 146 | 114 | +32 | 14.60 | 11.40 |
| 4 | Rochester Knighthawks – x | 10 | 6 | 4 | .600 | 2.0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 148 | 137 | +11 | 14.80 | 13.70 |
| 5 | Baltimore Thunder | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | 4.0 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 144 | 163 | −19 | 14.40 | 16.30 |
| 6 | New York Saints | 10 | 3 | 7 | .300 | 5.0 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 124 | 144 | −20 | 12.40 | 14.40 |
| 7 | Charlotte Cobras | 10 | 0 | 10 | .000 | 8.0 | 0–5 | 0–5 | 85 | 186 | −101 | 8.50 | 18.60 |
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games Played
W: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowed
Differential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game
All Star Game
No All-Star Game was played in 1996.
Playoffs
| Semifinals | Championship | ||||||||
| 4 | Rochester | 10 | |||||||
| 1 | Buffalo | 18 | |||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 10 | |||||||
| 1 | Buffalo | 15 | |||||||
| 3 | Boston | 8 | |||||||
| 2 | Philadelphia | 10 | |||||||
Awards
| Award | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MVP Award | Gary Gait | Philadelphia |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Darren Fridge | Boston |
| Championship Game MVP | Pat O'Toole | Buffalo |
Weekly awards
Each week, a player is awarded "Player of the Week" honours.
| Week | Player of the Week |
|---|---|
| 1 | J.J. Pearl |
| 2 | Steve Dietrich |
| 3 | Gary Gait |
| 4 | Tom Phair |
| 5 | Darren Fridge |
| 6 | Andy Piazza |
| 7 | John Tavares |
| 8 | Eric Seremet |
| 9 | Dallas Eliuk |
| 10 | John Tavares |
| 11 | John Tavares |
| 12 | Steve Dietrich |
| 13 | Charlie Blanchard |
| 14 | Kevin Bilger |
Monthly awards
An award is also given out monthly for the best overall player.
| Month | Player of the Month |
|---|---|
| Jan | Gary Gait |
| Feb | John Tavares |
| Mar | John Tavares |
All-Pro Teams
First Team:
- Gary Gait, Philadelphia
- Paul Gait, Rochester
- Tom Marechek, Philadelphia
- John Tavares, Buffalo
- Jim Veltman, Buffalo
- Dallas Eliuk, Philadelphia (goalie)
Second Team:
- Chris Bates, Charlotte
- Thomas Carmean, Boston
- Chris Driscoll, Rochester
- Kevin Finneran, Philadelphia
- Duane Jacobs, Rochester
- Steve Dietrich, Rochester (goalie)
Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.
| Stat | Player | Team | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | Gary Gait | Philadelphia | 43 |
| Assists | Jim Veltman | Buffalo | 40 |
| Points | John Tavares | Buffalo | 81 |
| Penalty Minutes | Tom Phair | Buffalo | 53 |
| Shots on Goal | Gary Gait | Philadelphia | 126 |
| Loose Balls | Jim Veltman | Buffalo | 125 |
| Save Pct | Pat O'Toole | Buffalo | 76.3 |
Attendance
Regular season
| Home team | Home games | Average attendance | Total attendance[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bandits | 5 | 14,883 | 74,419 |
| Philadelphia Wings | 5 | 14,644 | 73,222 |
| Boston Blazers | 5 | 8,358 | 41,792 |
| New York Saints | 5 | 7,916 | 39,579 |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 5 | 7,376 | 36,881 |
| Baltimore Thunder | 5 | 4,987 | 24,934 |
| Charlotte Cobras | 5 | 2,760 | 13,802 |
| League | 35 | 7,991 | 279,695 |
Playoffs
| Home team | Home games | Average attendance | Total attendance[2] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bandits | 2 | 15,333 | 30,665 |
| Philadelphia Wings | 1 | 12,092 | 12,092 |
| League | 3 | 14,252 | 42,757 |
