NLL to Celebrate 40th Anniversary During 2026-27 Season
A look back at four decades of teams, stars, and unforgettable moments that shaped the League
March 13, 2026By: Rob Lucchesi & Anna Taylor
The National Lacrosse League (NLL) was founded on March 13, 1986, as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (EPBLL) by founders Russ Cline and Chris Fritz, with its inaugural season beginning in 1987. In 1988, the League rebranded as the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) as it expanded its presence in professional indoor lacrosse.
In 1997, the league adopted the National Lacrosse League name, reflecting its growing footprint across North America. The following year, the league admitted its first Canadian franchise, the Ontario Raiders.
As the sport of lacrosse grew and evolved, so too did the National Lacrosse League. The game continues to thrive in markets fueled by passionate fans. Players who once starred on the floor have gone on to become coaches, helping shape the next generation of talent. And through it all, the fans keep coming back.
Where the League Has Been
Buffalo Bandits on May 24, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Saskatchewan Rush @ Buffalo Bandits. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
There had been attempts to start professional box lacrosse leagues in Canada and the United States since the 1930s. The most notable of these was the former National Lacrosse League that played in 1974 and 1975. It was where the stars of the day played, names like Gaylord Powless, John Grant Sr., Johnny “Shooter” Davis, Doug Hayes, Larry Lloyd and Carm Collins, with names like Jack Bionda, Jim Bishope, Cy Coombes and Bobby Allan leading on the management side of things. Many of these men remained connected to the game even today, whether as coaches, general managers, board members, or grandpas to a new generation of players.
When the Eagle Pro Box League launched in 1986 under Russ Cline and Chris Fritz, four teams took the turf. The first champion was the Baltimore Thunder. Two years later, as the MILL, the league expanded to six teams as the Philadelphia Wings were crowned champions for the first time.
The NLL has undergone many changes since its debut 40 years ago. Today, the league boasts 14 teams, including the Buffalo Bandits, reigning NLL champions, a team that joined the league in 1992, and is now the longest continuously operating franchise in the NLL.
Historic Franchises
Since that 1992 debut, the Bandits have continuously stood out as a special team, collecting seven titles and providing a home for a number of Hall of Fame players. Since 2019, Buffalo has succeeded under the leadership of NLL Hall of Famer and former Bandits forward, three-time League MVP John Tavares. Since taking over the position, Tavares has gone head-to-head against several Bandits legends and Hall of Famers, including Las Vegas head coach Shawn Williams and Saskatchewan co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan.
In their now 33-year lease in Upstate New York, the Bandits have won seven titles in 14 different Championship appearances, the most in NLL history. They were the first expansion team to win a title in their inaugural season, and became just the second team in NLL history to capture three straight championships, joining the Rochester Knighthawks (2012–2014).
Though the Knighthawks and the Bandits were the first and only teams thus far in the NLL’s history to secure the three-peat, the League has been host to several historically dominant franchises over the course of its 40-year tenure. The original Philadelphia Wings – the current Oshawa FireWolves – date back to the early days of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League as one of the four original competing franchises, and the only team to keep their name and logo from their 1970’s NLL. During their nearly 30 years of activity before relocating to Albany in 2014, the original Wings notched six divisional titles and six League titles between the 1989 and 2001 seasons – 11 straight years of playoff appearances, now remembered as the ‘Decade of Dominance.’ That franchise playoff record would remain in Philly until 2005, dethroned by the Rochester Knighthawks’ 13-straight playoff appearances from their inception in 1995 to 2007.
Across the border, the Toronto Rock also endures as one of the NLL’s most successful dynasties alongside the Wings and Bandits. Originally founded in 1998 as the Ontario Raiders, the Rock were the NLL’s first Canadian-based franchise. In 1999, the Rock not only made the playoffs in their first season in Toronto, but also won their first NLL Championship, and in the following year, became the first team since the 1994-95 Wings to win back-to-back championships. Over the course of their 26 seasons in the NLL, the Rock have won nine divisional titles and six League championships, including two sets of back-to-back titles. The Rock were also the first team to break a decade-long award monopoly when then Toronto captain Jim Veltman was named the 2004 League MVP, the first year in the 10-year history of the award that it did not go to Gary Gait, Paul Gait or John Tavares.
With four successful dynasties now synonymous with the success and continued growth of the League, the NLL is not without its share of experiments over the course of the last several decades. In its 40 years, the NLL has expanded into new markets across nearly every corner of North America.
While the most recognizable names have withstood the test of time, with the Bandits and the Rock remaining in their respective territories, even the original Knighthawks and Wings took a brief vacation from their hometowns, paving the way for what fans now recognize as the current NLL landscape.
The Knighthawks’ original incarnation had it the easiest in terms of relocation, moving their three-peat and regular season records with them to Nova Scotia in 2019 where they rebranded as the Halifax Thunderbirds during the short-lived 2020 season. Though the records live on in the Maritimes, the legacy continues in the Flower City, as a fresh-faced incarnation of the Rochester Knighthawks now owned by the Seneca Nation.
Icons of the NLL
The NLL wouldn’t be what it is without the players and personnel that made it. These individuals have injected the League with their talent, skill, dedication and passion for the sport, showing future generations the path to greatness.
There are the great scorers: John Tavares, Dan Dawson, and John Grant Jr. The icons, like the brothers. The ones who broke barriers, like Casey Powell and Lyle Thompson. And then there are the ones who work behind the scenes, the coaches and general managers and League staff.
Tavares, now head coach of the team he played for for 24 seasons, is the League’s all-time leader in goals and points with 815/1749. He held the League’s iron man record with 306 games before retiring at age 46. Dawson broke that record shortly before he retired in 2023 after a 21-year career spent with nine different teams, finishing with 322 games under his belt. Dawson also sits second in total points (1505) and first in assists (954), and is now an assistant coach for the Toronto Rock. Grant Jr., third all-time in scoring with 1446 points, played 17 seasons for Rochester and Colorado and was one of the most creative shooters in history.
Brothers Gary and Paul Gait were the first true superstars of the League, and they each hold the record for most goals scored in a single game with 10: Paul did it first, in March of 1994 with Philadelphia, and Gary in January of 1999 with Baltimore. The honour of most points in a game still resides with the Bandits’ Mark Steenhuis, a fan favourite known for his mop of curly hair, who had a 17-point outing on Valentine’s Day 2009 as Buffalo beat Toronto 25-10.
Powell, the most notable American-born player to play in the NLL, held the lead in American scoring until Joe Resetarits surpassed him last year. On the floor, you can see Powell’s impact on the game through the playing styles of some of the NLL’s current Americans, such as Joe Resetarits and Connor Fields. Powell showed Americans that it’s possible to have a successful career, even without a box background. He was the last American player to be drafted first overall (1996) until Brennan O’Neill in 2024.
Lyle Thompson is far from the first Indigenous player in the NLL, but he is perhaps the best. Thompson and his three brothers quickly established themselves as leaders in their Onondaga community and are role models for Indigenous children across Turtle Island, not just in lacrosse but in life. Thompson won the League’s Sportsmanship Award six times from 2017 to 2024.
It’s rare for a player to leave the sport even when they retire. Many, like Glenn Clark, Derek Keenan, Dan MacRae, Josh Sanderson, Tracey Kelusky and Mike Accursi, transition to coaching. Others moved into the management side of the game, like Colorado GM Brad Self, Rochester GM Dan Carey and Philadelphia GM Paul Day, who also coached before moving to the front office. Former Colorado/San Diego GM Steve Govett remains close to the game, spearheading the NLL Alumni Club and promoting the game with TFL Sports, which designs collectible cards and stickers for the fans.
Two of the NLL’s most notable coaches have since passed on. Les Bartley, for whom the League’s Coach of the Year Award is named, died from colon cancer in 2005. Bartley coached the Bandits to their first three championships after being elevated from assistant to head coach three games into the 1992 season. He coached the Rock to their first four, and was the team’s Vice President when they won their fifth title in 2005, just 18 hours before Bartley passed. The Rock also lost GM Terry Sanderson in 2014 to a heart attack. Sanderson had stops in Albany, Montreal, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Toronto and Calgary before new Rock owner Jamie Dawick brought him home to Toronto in 2009. To this day, the team embodies Sanderson’s passion for the game, and his legacy lives on through his large family, a number of whom have also played prominent roles in the NLL.
At the League level, since 2003, Executive Vice President of League Operations Brian Lemon has “led League committees to implement game rule changes to improve player safety standards, and overall better game flow and an entertaining product” as well as expanding opportunities for players, coaches and officials.
The NLL would not exist without the people who have dedicated their lives to it.
Top Moments
Let’s look back at some of the fundamental events and moments that have made the NLL what it is today.
In 1992, Dave Succamore, Peter Schmitz and Ron Jaros founded the Professional Lacrosse Players Association. It was the first time that the players of the League had that kind of safety net to help negotiate a Collective Bargaining agreement for improved working conditions, higher wages, better benefits and increased job security. Minimum and maximum salaries, schedules, per diems, missed work and licensing are just some of the major issues it governs. The League rebranded as the NLLPA in 2021 when Zach Currier won the presidential election. Reid Reinholdt is the current VP and Executive Director.
1998 – The NLL Admits Its First Canadian Franchise
As the MILL turned into the NLL, the Ontario Raiders became the League’s first Canadian franchise. They played in Hamilton, ON at the former Copps Coliseum (now TD Coliseum), but moved to Maple Leaf Gardens in downtown Toronto the next season and rebranded as the Toronto Rock after being purchased by a group of prominent Canadian sportsmen, including Bill Watters, Paul Beeston, Tie Domi and Bobby Orr. They won the 1999 NLL championship.
2004 – Gary Gait Establishes the 1000 Point Club
On March 26, 2004, Gary Gait became the first player to reach 1000 points. He achieved the feat at age 36 and 356 days, in his 157th career game. Only 16 other players have reached that plateau, with Cody Jamieson the most recent. Jamieson was also the first Indigenous player to do it. Shawn Evans was the youngest, at age 30 and 359 days, and John Tavares the fastest, in 154 games.
2005 – Establishment of the NLL Hall of Fame
On June 16, 2005, the League announced the formation of the Hall of Fame along with its first induction class consisting of Les Bartley, Russ Cline, Chris Fritz, and Gary and Paul Gait. There are now 37 members of the HOF, including players, coaches, referees, executives and media members whose talents and triumphs have made an invaluable impact on the sport of lacrosse.
2014 – The Rochester Knighthawks 3-Peat
The NLL has only two teams that have ever three-peated as champions. The Rochester Knighthawks of 2012-2014 were the first team to do so, and they won it in an unusual way. Back then, the League played a best-of-two series for the championship, and if each team won a game, a 10-minute mini-game was played immediately following Game 2. Rochester won that mini-game against Calgary 3-2 with Craig Point scoring the game-winning goal. The Knighthawks defeated Edmonton in 2012 and Washington in 2013.
2014 – The NLL adopts an 18-game schedule
Partway through the 2013 season, the NLL announced it would extend its 16-game season, a tradition since 2002, to an 18-game schedule beginning the following year. This added an additional two weeks of competition on top of the changes made to the NLL Championship format – the three-game series fans have come to anticipate each year.
2022 – Smile! You’re on TV!
While the NLL has had previous broadcast deals over the years, the League has most prominently been featured on ESPN and TSN throughout its existence. First featured on ESPN and ESPN2 in the mid-to-late nineties, their original six-year contract showcased 12 Monday night games on ESPN2, with the subsequent playoffs also broadcast on ESPN. In the early 2000s, consistent coverage by ESPN was limited to broadcasts of the All-Star Games and Championship Series, while most regular-season coverage aired on a variety of networks, including NBC, CBS, and for a while, The Lacrosse Network and BR Live. However, in 2022, the NLL reached an exclusive media rights agreement with ESPN, under which all games would stream on ESPN+ in the United States, and at least 10 would air on an ESPN television channel during the season. Additionally, TSN returned as the domestic broadcaster of the NLL in Canada, featuring “game of the week” style coverage with NLL Friday Nights on TSN.
2023 – The League Transitions to Unified Standings
Though the early days of professional box lacrosse presented a ‘unified division’ to fans, the NLL had operated with East and West divisions for much of its history before transitioning to unified standings beginning in the 2023-24 season. Heading into the year, the NLL was made up of 15 teams, and the move to a unified division was designed to “provide a streamlined, easy-to-follow and fiercely competitive method of determining our playoff teams and, ultimately, our champion,” explained Commissioner Brett Frood. Without regional divisions, the NLL has been able to “definitively showcase its continental reach as a truly North American League,” and allow fans in every corner to engage more directly with the League and its teams.
2024 – NLL UnBOXed™ Hosts First Showcase in Montreal
In February, 2024, the NLL returned to Montreal, Québec for the first time since 2002 for the first-ever NLL UnBOXed™ Showcase. The Showcase, hosted by the region’s own UnBOXed™ team, Castors de Montréal, pitted the Toronto Rock against the New York Riptide at Place Bell. The success of the showcase helped introduce development programs in dozens of new markets between 2024 and 2025. The League hosted its second UnBOXed™ Showcase in Edmonton in January 2026.
2025 – The Buffalo Bandits 3-Peat
The Buffalo Bandits became the second team in NLL history to win three straight championships, capturing titles from 2023 to 2025. Powered by one of the league’s most passionate fanbases and a veteran core, Buffalo’s run began with a championship victory over the Colorado Mammoth in 2023. The Bandits returned to the Finals in 2024 and successfully defended their title against the FireWolves. Buffalo completed the historic three-peat in 2025, defeating the Saskatchewan Rush to secure the franchise’s place among the greatest dynasties in the history of the National Lacrosse League.
As part of its ongoing commitment to growing the game, the League launched the NLL UnBOXed™ initiative ahead of the 2024 season. The program introduces box lacrosse through a school-based curriculum before expanding into community clinics, events, and player-led instruction in markets that do not currently have NLL franchises. This approach is designed to build youth participation and foster long-term interest in both box lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League. In its first year, NLL UnBOXed™ launched in nine inaugural communities and has since expanded to more than 30 markets in just two years. A core pillar of NLL UnBOXed™ is increasing access by helping break down the financial barriers that often prevent young athletes from trying lacrosse for the first time. With the support of League partners, the program has donated equipment to more than 100 schools and introduced the sport to over 60,000 students across North America.
By working directly with educators, recreation providers, local lacrosse programs & nonprofit organizations, the League is helping communities build confidence in delivering the sport while creating positive first experiences that can spark lifelong participation. These efforts are reinforced through broader League philanthropy and outreach initiatives that position NLL players and teams as visible role models who actively support youth development both on and off the floor.
