Johnny T Is Back!

Veteran All-Pro forwards John Grant, John Tavares and Tracey Kelusky have re-signed with their respective teams, the clubs announced on Monday. Also announced today, goaltender Steve Dietrich has signed a one-year contract with the Calgary Roughnecks, after recently being traded from the Buffalo Bandits. Grant, the reigning league MVP, signed a two-year agreement with the 2007 NLL Champion Rochester Knighthawks. Grant has played his entire eight year career with the team. Veteran John Tavares re-signed a one year deal with the Bandits and will return to Buffalo for his 17th season. Tracey Kelusky has re-signed with Calgary and will return for his sixth season with the club.

John Grant led Rochester to its second league title in 2007. In the process, he was the league's 2007 Dodge Nitro Most Valuable Player and the NLL Championship Game MVP. He scored three goals and added five assists in the Knighthawks' 13-11 win in the championship game.

Grant was the league's most prolific scorer in 2007, leading the NLL in both goals scored (51) and total points (111). His 60 assists also ranked second in the league this season, tied with Arizona's Dan Dawson.

Grant, a Peterborough, Ontario, native was also pegged as a member of the NLL's First Team All-Pro squad. Grant has now been honored as a league All-Pro seven times in his career. He is also fifth all-time in league history in points (719) and goals (347), and seventh in assists (372). The 2007 All-Pro selection is the fifth First Team All-Pro honor of Grant's career and seventh overall All-Pro selection.

John Tavares will return to Buffalo for a 17th consecutive season. Having played his entire career with the Bandits, Tavares is the league's all-time leader in career points (1,239) and career assists (648). The veteran also ranks second all-time in both career goals (591) and career loose balls (1,695). The Toronto, Ontario native is a three-time winner of the league's MVP Award (1994, 2000 & 2001) and has 15 consecutive All-Pro honors, including 13 First Team selections and two Second Team selections.

In 2007 Tavares finished fourth in the league with 103 points, including a league best 61 assists and a league fifth best 42 goals. He helped lead Buffalo to a 10-6 record and to the team's fifth consecutive playoff berth.

Calgary Roughnecks general manager Kurt Silcott announced today the club has re-signed team captain Tracey Kelusky to a one year contract and that the club has signed goaltender Steve Dietrich to a one-year deal.

Roughnecks team captain, Tracey Kelusky was originally signed with the team in 2003 and has led the team to five straight post season berths, including an NLL championship in 2004. The forward was the 2005 NLL All-Star Game MVP has also earned five All-Pro selections in his career, including First Team honors in 2002 and 2003.

Kelusky recorded 88 regular season points (35 goals, 53 assists) and collected 95 loose balls, playing every game for the Roughnecks in 2007. He also posted four points (3 goals, 1 assist) in the 2007 playoff game vs. the Arizona Sting.

The Peterborough, Ontario native reached the 500 regular season points milestone this season, finishing the year with 511 regular season points. He was awarded the 2007 sportsmanship award, as he did not record a single penalty minute during the entire 2007 season.

Steve Dietrich signed with the Roughnecks after being traded to Calgary last week. Dietrich has played 15 seasons in the NLL, including the past six with the Bandits. He was the 2006 National Lacrosse League Most Valuable Player and is a two-time winner of the Goaltender of the Year Award (2005 & 2006). The veteran has also earned four All-Pro selections.

In 172 career games Dietrich has played 8,163 minutes in goal and has recorded a 12.2 Goals Against Average and a 76.85 save percentage.

Thenhaus To Boston

The new Boston NLL team selected defenseman Pat Merrill from the Toronto Rock with the first overall selection in the 2007 Expansion Draft today. Goaltender Pat Campbell was plucked from Edmonton with the second pick, followed by forward Gewas Schindler from New York at third overall. Other key selections include veteran forwards Jake Bergey from Philadelphia and Brian Langtry from Colorado. Brenden Thenhaus of the BUFFALO BANDITS was picked 7th overall, keeping Cory Bomberry on the team for 2008.

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Who Should Boston Draft?

Oh, to be Boston head coach Tom Ryan this weekend. Ryan and the expansion Boston club have until Tuesday to decide which players to select in the Expansion Draft. Boston can select one unprotected player from each of the league's 13 teams. NLL.com asked some members of the league's media to do a mock draft and explain their selections.

Today's story includes selections from Tom Borrelli and Ty Pilson. Selections by Brian Shanahan and Blair Campbell will appear tomorrow.

Selections by Tom Borrelli, Buffalo News/Lacrosse Magazine and first member of the media to be recognized by the NLL Hall of Fame:

Arizona: Mike Grimes -- The Sting's first-round draft choice of 2006 is an Eastern guy, having led the Peterborough (Ontario) Junior Lakers to the Minto Cup that summer. A 6-3, 210-pound defenseman who got into 11 games as a rookie, he has a huge upside at 21 years old.

Buffalo: Clay Hill -- Physical, underrated member of dominant Bandits' defense has three NLL seasons under his belt.

Calgary: Andrew Leyshon -- Goalie got his feet wet last year, winning five games in 12 decisions. He's ready to be a starter somewhere, though it won't be with the Roughnecks now that Steve Dietrich is on board.

Chicago: Jon Harasym -- Will only be 28 years old on opening night, his upside is greater than
his older unprotected teammates with gaudier numbers.

Colorado: Jordan Cornfield -- Showed he could score (nine goals in nine games) in limited time, and he will be only 25.

Edmonton: Buck Stobart -- Big (6-4, 240) and physical defenseman who's only 24 years old and getting better every time out.

Minnesota: Scott Stewart -- In six NLL seasons, has 109 goals and 220 points, four times topping 40 points in the campaign.

New York: Jeff Spano -- Defenseman who tallied 27 assists and 96 loose balls last season and
at 28, still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Philadelphia: Jeff Ratcliffe -- He's 31 and coming off a down season but he's just two years removed from a 39-goal, 70-point campaign.

Portland: Jed Prossner -- An East Coast guy (Easton, Md.) who's only 23 years old. He got his first taste of the NLL last season and had some big goals in very limited time. Traveling to Boston won't be as big a headache as coast-to-coast trips to Portland.

Rochester: Phil Wetherup -- Though only 30, he's already played for Rochester, Buffalo and Toronto, so he knows the shooters in the East. Would be the perfect backup to Leyshon.

San Jose: Andrew Guindon -- Another guy with East pedigree - three seasons with Philadelphia
and one in Ottawa. Always makes his presence known with 367 career loose balls and 213 penalty minutes.

Toronto: Patrick Merrill -- Good faceoff man (435 career wins) who gets to loose balls (330) and is rugged (217 penalty minutes). As Brodie's older brother, he is still only 28.

Protected Player List (Bomberry)

The yet-to-be-named Boston team will begin to build their roster next Tuesday in the expansion draft, when they select a player from each of the 14 returning team's unprotected lists, which were released today. Key unprotected players include Buffalo's Cory Bomberry, Colorado's Brian Langtry, Minnesota's Scott Stewart and Toronto's Pat Merrill.

A number of factors will certainly play into Boston's decision-making process, including which players are unrestricted free agents.

Clubs were given the option of either protecting one goaltender and thirteen of its runners (forwards/defensemen/transition players) or two goaltenders and ten runners. The protected player lists are below.

No team may lose more than one of its players in the Expansion Draft. Draft results will be posted live at the league's official website, nll.com.



Buffalo Bandits

Protected Players
Bucktooth, Brett
Dostie, Kevin
Greenhalgh, Sean
Laverty, Kyle
McCready, Pat
Powless, Delby
Sanderson, Phil
Smith, Billy Dee
Steenhuis, Mark
Tavares, John
Teat, Dan
Thompson, Mike
Vyse, Roger
White, Chris



Unprotected Players
Bomberry, Cory
Bonterre, Troy
Hill, Clay
Kilgour, Rich
Sams, Daniel
Seymour, Daryl
Thenhaus, Brenden



Unprotected list only includes draft eligible players on active NLL rosters. Unlisted players on injured reserve, holdout, retired lists, etc., are eligible to be drafted.

Entry Draft: Pepsi Center

The National Lacrosse League has announced that the 2007 Entry Draft will be held in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, September 1st. The Entry Draft will take place at Pepsi Center, home arena of the Colorado Mammoth. The event will begin at 10am Mountain Time (Noon Eastern) and will be open to the public. The draft will consist of six rounds, and features the best lacrosse talent from US college programs as well as Canada's junior lacrosse system.

The Entry Draft and the previously announced NLL Outdoor Showcase will highlight a host of NLL events taking place in Denver during Labor Day Weekend. The activity begins on Friday, August 31st, when the league will hold a combine for players graduating from US colleges. The league will invite several of the top prospects to come and participate in the combine and meet with coaches and general managers from around the league. The combine will take place at Pepsi Center.

The Entry Draft takes place on Saturday, September 1st at 10am MT. Following the draft, the action moves from indoors at Pepsi Center to outdoors at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in nearby Commerce City. The stadium will host the NLL's first-ever outdoor lacrosse game that evening, as the NLL Outdoor Showcase begins at 7pm. The NLL Outdoor Showcase will feature the current stars of the NLL, as well as the return of lacrosse legend Gary Gait, who is scheduled to play in the contest. Tickets can be purchased at www.tickethorse.com.

"We are excited to be holding our Entry Draft in Denver and in front of the great fans of the Colorado Mammoth", said NLL Commissioner Jim Jennings. "The Mammoth and Pepsi Center have hosted the NLL All-Star Game in 2004 and Opening Night of the regular season on three occasions. We are pleased to bring yet another important league event to Colorado for the first time with the 2007 Entry Draft".

Jennings continued, "The Entry Draft is just one of several important NLL events to take place in the Denver area on Labor Day weekend. With our first-ever NLL Outdoor Showcase taking place on Saturday evening, September 1st will be an historic day for the league. We look forward to a great weekend with our current stars, the stars of tomorrow and our great fans."

Summary of Events:

Friday, August 31st
Combine for US college players at Pepsi Center. Open to media, closed to public

Saturday, September 1st
NLL 2007 Entry Draft, 10am MT at Pepsi Center. Event is free and open to public, no advance tickets necessary.

NLL Outdoor Showcase, 7pm at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Purchase tickets at www.tickethorse.com.

Boston Expansion Draft

The National Lacrosse League has announced it will hold its 2007 Expansion Draft on Tuesday, July 31st at 2pm Eastern Time. The Expansion Draft will mark the Boston expansion club's first major step in building the team's inaugural season roster. The yet-to-be-named Boston team will be allowed to select one unprotected player from each of the league's thirteen returning member clubs.

Each returning club can protect up to fourteen players on its roster from the Expansion Draft. Clubs may either protect one goaltender and thirteen of its runners (forwards/defensemen/transition players) or two goaltenders and ten runners. The protected player lists will be announced by each team in the coming days. No team may lose more than one of its players in the Expansion Draft. Draft results will be posted live at the league's official website, nll.com.

The Boston club also currently holds the top overall selection in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft. The league announced yesterday that the Entry Draft will take place on September 1st at Pepsi Center in Denver, home arena of the Colorado Mammoth. The Entry Draft features the best young lacrosse talent from the NCAA US college programs and Canada's junior lacrosse organizations.

Meet Sean Greenhalgh (Green-Hall)

Played His College Days At Cornell Where He Was Named Ivy League Player Of The Year in 2005. 25 years old and lead Philidelphia Wings in points with 68 in 2007. 5'10" and 185 points, native of St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada has 141 points in 32 games. Selected third overall in 2005 and finished with 169 points in college. Overall- Good fill for Johnny T when that day comes

Huge Blockbuster Trade!

A blockbuster trade was made official today by the National Lacrosse League, involving three teams, six players, draft picks and future considerations. The Buffalo Bandits, Calgary Roughnecks and Philadelphia Wings completed the transaction, which involves Taylor Wray, Ian Llord, Steve Dietrich, Kyle Couling, Sean Greenhalgh and Jason Crosbie. The players involved in the deal have combined for one league MVP award, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, two Goaltender of the Year Awards, one Rookie of the Year Award, a Sportsmanship Award, two All-Rookie Team honors and five All-Pro honors.

The Calgary Roughnecks have traded defenseman Taylor Wray to the Philadelphia Wings, and they traded their first round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft and their second round selection in the 2008 Entry Draft to the Buffalo Bandits.

The Buffalo Bandits have traded goaltender Steve Dietrich and defenseman Kyle Couling to the Calgary Roughnecks and they traded forward Jason Crosbie and other conditional considerations to the Philadelphia Wings.

The Philadelphia Wings have traded forwarded Sean Greenhalgh to the Buffalo Bandits and defenseman Ian Llord to the Calgary Roughnecks.

Steve Dietrich, who will join the Roughnecks, is the most decorated amongst the players involved in the deal. Dietrich, who played the last six seasons of his 15 year career with the Bandits, was the 2006 NLL MVP, a four time All-Pro and a two time Goaltender of the Year Award recipient. Dietrich won a championship in 1997 with the Rochester Knighthawks and was the Championship Game MVP that season. Dietrich however only played 431 minutes in 2007 while recovering from a knee injury. He played over 800 minutes in his 2006 MVP season.

Taylor Wray heads to Philadelphia from Calgary. Wray was the 2004 NLL Rookie of the Year, a co-winner of the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year Award and earned First Team All-Pro honors that season. He has played 55 games in four seasons with the Roughnecks and won a championship in 2004.

Sean Greenhalgh heads to Buffalo after leading Philadelphia in scoring in each of his first two NLL seasons. Greenhalgh was the recipient of the league's Sportsmanship Award in 2006 and was a member of 2006 NLL All-Rookie Team.

Jason Crosbie heads to Philadelphia after playing five of his seven NLL seasons with the Buffalo Bandits. Crosbie has 113 goals in 96 career games.

Kyle Couling has played his entire career with the Buffalo Bandits, which includes eight seasons and 113 regular season games. The veteran heads to Calgary after collecting 77 loose balls last season. Couling has 515 career loose balls.

Ian Llord joins the Roughnecks after playing his rookie season in Philadelphia. Llord, a defenseman, was the fifth overall pick in the 2006 Entry Draft, taken by the Wings. Llord played 11 games for Philadelphia in 2007.

Quotes from Team Exectuvies:
"Taylor (Wray) is a franchise-type player, which is evident from his actions and awards that he's won," said Wings General Manager Lindsay Sanderson. "We were very high on both Sean (Greenhalgh) and Ian (Llord), but feel that Taylor is just a better fit with our current needs."

In Summary:
The Buffalo Bandits have received forward Sean Greenhalgh from Philadelphia and they have received Calgary's first round selection in the 2007 Entry Draft, and Calgary's second round selection in the 2008 Entry Draft.

The Calgary Roughnecks have received goaltender Steve Dietrich, defenseman Kyle Couling and defenseman Ian Llord.

The Philadelphia Wings have received defenseman Taylor Wray, forward Jason Crosbie and other conditional considerations from the Bandits.

Penalty Minutes All-Time

Toronto Rock veteran defender Dan Ladouceur recorded just 21 penalty minutes in ten games during the 2007 season, however it was enough for him to become the all-time leader in career regular season penalty minutes. Now with 377 career PIM, Ladouceur passed Neil Doddridge and Pat Coyle this season to move into the first overall spot. Buffalo Bandits defender Kyle Laverty moved all the way to sixth on this list, after not being part of the top ten last season. Laverty finished second in the NLL this season with 66 PIM, bringing his career total to 334.

Other movement in the top ten this season saw Buffalo's Pat McCready jump from being tied with Casey Zaph for tenth after last season, to eight on the all-time list with 318 career penalty minutes currently. Both Andy Ogilvie and Regy Thorpe passed Tom Phair to move up a spot on the all-time list.

TOP TEN CAREER PIM
1.) Dan Ladouceur - 377
2.) Neil Doddridge - 362
3.) Pat Coyle - 361
4.) Andy Ogilvie - 340
5.) Regy Thorpe - 336
6.) Kyle Laverty - 334
7.) Tom Phair - 331
8.) Pat McCready - 318
9.) Ted Dowling - 303
10.) Brian Reese - 298

(11-25)
Shaydon Santos (295), Casey Zaph (293), Darris Kilgour (285), Cam Woods (279), Tony Millon (267), John Tavares (267), Mike Hasen (257), Dave Stilley (257), Rusty Kruger (254), Jim Moss (248), Jamie Hanford (241), Rich Kilgour (240), Andrew Turner (237), Gary Rosyski (236), Bill Dee Smith (236) Recent News

Lacrosse Creators Reaffirming Heritage

The Native American communities of Western New York have produced a wealth of NLL talent. Delby Powless, Brett Bucktooth, Gewas Schindler and Marshall Abrams are amongst a host of Native Americans who have found success playing in the NLL. While the origin of lacrosse has always been attributed to Native Americans, the sport is currently experiencing a revival within Native American communities. As reported by Winnie Hu of the New York Times on July 13th, lacrosse is growing rapidly in the Oneida Territory. Participation numbers are increasing and new and better rinks are being built. With more and more Native Americans playing the game invented by their ancestors, it may not be long before even more native players find their way onto NLL clubs.
-NLL.COM

Troy Bontierre Vs Jack Reid

Tavares Behind The Net

Colorado Deals Prepchuk

The Colorado Mammoth traded forward Ben Prepchuk to the Edmonton Rush in exchange for a second round pick in the upcoming NLL Entry Draft. The 28-year-old right-hander, who is a native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, has tallied 120 goals and 121 assists in 84 career regular season games, as well as seven goals and eight assists in seven career playoff games, including a run at the 2006 Champion's Cup with the Mammoth.

"I'm ecstatic about finally getting Ben," said Rush GM/Head Coach Paul Day. "I've tried to make a deal with Colorado for him in the past and it never worked out. I'm very happy it worked out this time."

The Radford University graduate was selected third overall by New York before the 2001 season, before being dealt to Calgary for 2002, where he exploded for a career-best 30 goals and 38 assists.

"We've been looking for a player like him and he provides us with strength and the ability to drive the net really well," said Day. "He's going to play a lot, including on the power play, which is something I think he was missing on a veteran team like Colorado."

Prepchuk was traded to Colorado in 2003 and played four seasons for the Mammoth. In 2003 he put up 21 goals and followed that with three 30-plus point seasons. While with the Mammoth, Prepchuk certainly enjoyed playing in his hometown arena. In two games at Rexall Place over the past two seasons, he notched four goals and six assists against the Rush. Now the six-foot, 195-pounder will have the opportunity to play all his home games on the floor where he's had plenty of success.

Prepchuk is re-united with former Mammoth teammates Chris Gill and Dan Stroup as well as another familiar face, fellow Sherwood Park product Jimmy Quinlan.

All-Time Save Leaders

Nine of the Top Ten All-Time saves leaders played in 2007 and there wasn't much movement amongst the leaders. Rochester's Pat O'Toole however did manage to move from third to second, passing Steve Dietrich. Dietrich missed much of the season with injury while O'Toole recorded 566 regular season saves for the NLL Champion Knighthawks, bringing his career total to 5,078. Portland LumberJax veteran Dallas Eliuk continues to lead with 6,201 career regular season saves.

On April 7th against the Minnesota Swarm, O'Toole recorded his 5,000th career regular season save, becoming only the second player in NLL history to do so.

Portland's Dallas Eliuk became the first ever player to record 6,000 career regular season saves on February 17th on the road against Rochester.

The only other movement amongst the Top Ten this season was when Curtis Palidwor passed Arizona's Rob Blasdell. Palidwor moved from seventh to sixth playing for both New York and Edmonton in 2007, after being traded during the season.

New Features (Read)

Today is a very exciting day for this site as it has just been brought to my attention we are now affiliated with a site called Bravenet which makes my job as a webmaster so much easier. Just recentily added to this site is the Live Chat. Yes I realize when clicked on it comes up as george lopez (my account) but I will be checking on that from time to time. I will be posting questions for fan voting throughout the season so dont worry about that link. The guestbook is newly created so if you are an out-of-towner make sure you let me know, news and feedback is always good! So thank you for visiting, Go Bandits
-BanditBlog Webmaster

Inside Lacrosse

I just found this on an Inside Lacrosse Poll-

Kyle Laverty, Buffalo Bandits (4g, 6a, 66 PIM, 81 LB): According to the IL player survey Kyle is the dirtiest player in the league. However, he is also one of the anchors on a tough defense that makes you earn every goal you get.

All-Time Ground Ball Leaders

Jim Veltman stretched his league-leading career loose balls total to 2,295 loose balls after collecting 143 this season. Buffalo Bandits transition player Pat McCready collected 126 loose balls this season to move past Gary Gait (1,076) and into third on the all-time list with 1,138 loose balls. McCready's teammate John Tavares (1,695) sits in second. New to the list this season are Rochester's Steve Toll (sixth with 974) and Chicago's Cam Woods (eighth with 921).

1.) Jim Veltman - 2,295
2.) John Tavares - 1,695
3.) Pat McCready - 1,138
4.) Gary Gait - 1,076
5.) Peter Jacobs - 1,040
6.) Steve Toll - 974
7.) Dallas Eliuk - 969
8.) Cam Woods - 921
9.) Pat O'Toole - 898
10.) Regy Thorpe - 875

11-25:
Pat Coyle (866), Phil Sanderson (860), Paul Cantabene (859), Tim Soudan (850), Steve Dietrich (825), Rich Kilgour (776), Chris Driscoll (768), Mike Accursi (743), Derek Malawsky (736), Mark Steenhuis (735), Paul Gait (734), John Rosa (725), Bruce Codd (714), Mike Hasen (704),

Bandits Love In WNY

The Buffalo Sabres aren't the only ones playing to packed houses at HSBC Arena.

The Buffalo Bandits, the National Lacrosse League franchise owned by the Sabres, posted the biggest attendance jump of all NLL teams. The Bandits attracted 120,324 people to eight regular-season games for an average of 15,040 this season. That's compared to 96,944, or an average of 12,118, in the 2005-06 season.

"We integrated our view of lacrosse into that of hockey," said Dan DiPofi, Sabres' chief operating officer. "We consider it as eight additional and important events we host in the arena."

The Bandits' attendance increase was 24.1 percent. The team drew the third most in the league, trailing only the Colorado Mammoth (134,359, average 16,794) and Toronto Rock (126,815, average 15,851).

League attendance for the 13 franchises, including two expansion teams, averaged 10,293 per game, a decrease of 3.8 percent from the 2005-06 season.

The Bandits sold 6,544 season tickets this year, a threefold jump from 2003 when B. Thomas Golisano bought the Sabres and Bandits.

DiPofi said the organization has become very aggressive in marketing the Bandits, including running summer lacrosse schools for area youth featuring members of the team.

Calgary Heads Cordingley

The Calgary Roughnecks named Troy Cordingley as their new Head Coach today. Cordingley, who previously served as an Assistant Coach with the Buffalo Bandits since 2003, replaces Jeff Dowling, who took over the coaching duties midway through the 2007 season following the firing of long-time coach Chris Hall.

"We are very excited to have Troy as the next Head Coach," said Roughnecks General Manager Kurt Silcott. "He is an experienced coach in both the NLL and OLA and we are lucky we were able to get him to come to Calgary. We feel that Troy's energy and passion for the game will spark this team to the next level. I know the type of lacrosse that Troy preaches and I believe our players will soon buy into it.

The 40-year-old Cordingley is looking forward to taking the reigns on the Roughnecks.

"Calgary is a veteran team and a large part of the attraction for me was the opportunity to work with such outstanding players as Tracey Kelusky and Lewis Ratcliff," said Cordingley. The existing core is exceedingly strong, and with just a tweak here and there I honestly feel we have the ability to take the (NLL) championship."

Dave Zygaj, the Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations, commented, "Troy was an excellent coach and player and a significant part of the Buffalo organization. Although we hate to see him go, we respect and acknowledge the opportunity for Troy to advance himself."

Cordingley was a 2nd round draft pick of the Bandits in 1993. Later on in his playing career, he dressed for Albany and then Rochester, before retiring in 2001 due to an ankle injury.

In 96 NLL games, he picked up 345 points (143 goals, 202 assists), snagged 393 loose balls and spent 137 minutes in the penalty box.

For the past three summers, he has been the General Manager and Head Coach of the Brampton Excelsior in the OLA. During the week, he is a teacher in Port Credit, Ontario. He is married to wife Darla and has four children.

NLL Highlights On LAXnews

4th Of July Update

Hello Bandit Faithful. The 2008 season is fast approaching so make sure you have your tickets locked up. Due to the lack of Bandits news as of late, I will be devoting more time to YouTube highlights of the past season which will include clips of all 13 NLL teams and the expansion Boston Lax Program.
Happy 4th To All,
-Bandits Blogger

Week 8 and All Star Highlights

"Buff" McCready Passes Away

Bob "Buff" McCready was the Bandits first Head Coach. McCready served as an assistant coach with the team this past season, working with the goaltenders.It is with great sadness that the National Lacrosse League has announced the passing of Bob "Buff" McCready. McCready, the goaltending coach for the Buffalo Bandits, passed away on Friday at the age of 67. He served as a coach in the NLL for both the Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks, including a short stint as head coach for Buffalo in 1992. McCready's son Pat is a transition player for the Bandits and just completed his seventh season in the league.

Bob McCready, nicknamed "Buff" was the Bandits first head coach. McCready was also an assistant coach for the Rochester Knighthawks organization from 1998-2001. He rejoined the Bandits organization this past season as a goaltending coach.

"Bob "Buff" McCready worked specifically with the goaltenders on the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team this past year. In addition to being knowledgeable about the game of lacrosse, Buff McCready was also a genuine and caring individual. He will be missed by our players, as well as the lacrosse community," said Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Dave Zygaj.

McCready is in both the Ontario and Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fames as a goaltender.

McCready's family will receive visitors at the George Darte Funeral Chapel, 585 Carlton Street in St. Catharines, Ont., on Wednesday, July 4 from 7-9 pm, and Thursday, July 5 from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm. A service to celebrate his life will take place on Friday, July 6 in the funeral home chapel at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Hospice Niagara or the St. Catharines Old Boys Lacrosse Association would be appreciated by the family.