| 1996 MILL season | |
| League: | Major Indoor Lacrosse League |
| Sport: | Indoor lacrosse |
| No Of Teams: | 7 |
| No Of Games: | 10 |
| Duration: | December 30, 1995 - April 12, 1996 |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Mvp: | Gary Gait (Philadelphia Wings) |
| Mvp Link: | National Lacrosse League MVP Award |
| Top Scorer: | John Tavares (Buffalo Bandits) |
| Top Scorer Link: | 1996 MILL season |
| League Champs: | Buffalo Bandits |
| Second Place: | Philadelphia Wings |
| Finals: | Champion's Cup |
| Finals Link: | Champion's Cup |
| Finals Champ: | Buffalo Bandits |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Philadelphia Wings |
| Finals Mvp: | Pat O'Toole (Buffalo) |
| Finals Mvp Link: | Champion's Cup#Most Valuable Players |
| Seasonslistnames: | MILL |
| Prevseason Link: | 1995 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season |
| Prevseason Year: | 1995 season |
| Nextseason Link: | 1997 Major Indoor Lacrosse League season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1997 season |
| Tv: | ESPN and ESPN2 |
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.
The Charlotte Cobras played their only season in 1996, in the process achieving the only winless season in the history of the league.
| 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 | ||
No All-Star Game was played in 1996.
| Award | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| MVP Award | Gary Gait | Philadelphia |
| Rookie of the Year Award | Darren Fridge | Boston |
| Championship Game MVP | Pat O'Toole | Buffalo |
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 |
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 |
First Team:
Second Team:
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 |
| Home Team | Home Games | Average Attendance | Total Attendance[1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |