1996 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season

1996 MILL season
LeagueMajor Indoor Lacrosse League
SportIndoor lacrosse
DurationDecember 30, 1995 - April 12, 1996
Number of games10
Number of teams7
TV partner(s)ESPN and ESPN2
Regular season
League championsBuffalo Bandits
  Runners-upPhiladelphia Wings
Season MVPGary Gait (Philadelphia Wings)
Top scorerJohn Tavares (Buffalo Bandits)
Champion's Cup
ChampionsBuffalo Bandits
  Runners-upPhiladelphia Wings
Finals MVPPat O'Toole (Buffalo)
MILL seasons

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.

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

Major Indoor Lacrosse 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

Regular season

Reference: [1]

PTeamGPWLPCTGBHomeRoadGFGADiffGF/GPGA/GP

1Buffalo Bandits – xyz1082.8000.03–25–0173127+4617.3012.70
2Philadelphia Wings – x1082.8000.04–14–1165114+5116.5011.40
3Boston Blazers – x1064.6002.04–12–3146114+3214.6011.40
4Rochester Knighthawks – x1064.6002.04–12–3148137+1114.8013.70
5Baltimore Thunder1046.4004.03–21–4144163−1914.4016.30
6New York Saints1037.3005.02–31–4124144−2012.4014.40
7Charlotte Cobras10010.0008.00–50–585186−1018.5018.60

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:

Second Team:

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

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Lacrosse League - 1996 Regular Season - Standings". NLL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "1996 Season". nllstats.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.


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