John Tavares (lacrosse)

John Tavares, born September 4, 1968, in Toronto, Ontario, is a Canadian retired professional box lacrosse player who spent his entire 24-year playing career with the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League, beginning with their inaugural season in 1992 after the Bandits acquired him from the Detroit Turbos. The source considers him the greatest box lacrosse player of all time. He is the NLL's all-time leader in games played with 306, goals with 815, assists with 934 and points with 1,749, and he won his fourth championship in 2008. Tavares later became head coach of the Buffalo Bandits and of the Six Nations Chiefs of Major Series Lacrosse, which won the 2023 Mann Cup, and in 2022 he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. His nephew, also named John Tavares, is a star of the Toronto Maple Leafs.