There is no rivalry in New York sports quite like the one between the Islanders and Rangers. Two hockey teams, thirty miles apart, separated by a bridge, a tunnel, and an ocean of mutual contempt. During the dynasty years, the Islanders didn't just beat the Rangers in the playoffs — they owned them, systematically and without mercy, in one of the most lopsided playoff rivalries in NHL history.
The animosity had roots going back to the Islanders' first playoff appearance in 1975, when the young expansion team stunned the established Rangers in a preliminary round upset. J.P. Parise's overtime goal just 11 seconds into OT in Game 3 gave the Islanders their first-ever playoff series win and sent a message to their crosstown rivals: Long Island had arrived.
The Rangers exacted revenge in 1979, eliminating the Islanders in the semifinals. It would be the last time they'd beat New York in the playoffs for five years. Beginning in 1980, the Islanders swept to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships — and in each of those four runs, they dispatched the Rangers along the way.
The playoff meetings told the story clearly. In 1981, the Islanders swept the Rangers 4–0 in the semifinals, barely breaking a sweat. In 1982, the Rangers managed to win Game 1 on Long Island — the first Islanders home loss in three months — but New York recovered to win the series in six. In 1983, the Rangers took two of the first four games, but the Islanders closed out the series in six again. In 1984, the Islanders survived a tougher five-game battle before moving on.
What made the rivalry so one-sided wasn't talent — the Rangers had competitive teams throughout this era, including a roster coached by Herb Brooks, architect of the 1980 Miracle on Ice. What they didn't have was the Islanders' depth, their playoff experience, or Billy Smith in net. Every spring, the Rangers would arrive at Nassau Coliseum believing this was their year. Every spring, they left early.
The fan culture surrounding the rivalry was as fierce as the hockey. Islanders fans popularized the "1940!" chant — mocking the Rangers' Stanley Cup drought since that year. Rangers fans, for their part, had the "Potvin Sucks!" chant, born from Denis Potvin's controversial hit on Ulf Nilsson in 1979, which has echoed through Madison Square Garden ever since. The chant still rings out at the Garden today, decades after Potvin retired — perhaps the greatest backhanded tribute one fanbase has ever paid an opponent.
The Battle of New York during the dynasty years wasn't really a battle. It was an annual coronation, played out on the ice of Nassau Coliseum, in front of fans who knew exactly what was coming. The Rangers were good. The Islanders were better. And Fort Neverlose made sure everyone knew it.