# 1996 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season

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

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:
| 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 | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| 4 | Rochester | 10 | | | |
| 1 | Buffalo | 18 | | | |
| 1 | Buffalo | 18 | 2 | Philadelphia | 10 |
| | | | 1 | Buffalo | 15 |
| 3 | Boston | 8 | 1 | Buffalo | 15 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Buffalo Bandits | 2 | 15,333 | 30,665 |
| Philadelphia Wings | 1 | 12,092 | 12,092 |
| League | 3 | 14,252 | 42,757 |