Rochester Knighthawks (1995–2019)
| Founded | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2019 |
| League | National Lacrosse League |
| Division | Eastern |
| Based in | Rochester, New York |
| Arena | Blue Cross Arena |
| Colors | Purple, Teal, White |
| League titles | 5 (1997, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014) |
| Division titles | 10 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018) |
| Later | Halifax Thunderbirds |
The original Rochester Knighthawks (also known as the K-Hawks) were a professional box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. They played in Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial. The Knighthawks were previously members of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League from 1995 to 1997. They were members of the NLL since the league's inaugural 1998 season.
The Knighthawks reached the playoffs in each of their first 13 seasons, from 1995 to 2007. This is a league record going back to the league's original creation, the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League. The previous record was 11 straight years, held by the Philadelphia Wings. They were also the first NLL team to win three consecutive championships (2012–14).
The new Knighthawks are owned by the Seneca Nation of New York, via their subsidiary Seneca Holdings, LLC. They took over in 2025 from previous owner Terry Pegula, who had purchased the intellectual property of the original Knighthawks in 2019 from former owner Curt Styres who moved the previous version of the team to Halifax, Nova Scotia as the Halifax Thunderbirds at the end of the 2018–2019 season. As an expansion team they are not a continuation of the original Knighthawks. All records and championships were transferred to Halifax.