NHL Gamecenter Live (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 12:42 PM EDT
in This, That & What-Not
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One of the biggest worries I had about moving out to Minnesota was how was I going to be able to watch the Islanders on a regular basis? If you think MSG+ 56 is hard to find on Cablevision, guess how hard it is waaaay out of market. Many bars out here do have the NHL Center Ice packages, but as a graduate student I don't have the money to go out to bars 4-5 times a week to catch the games, on top of that not every place is ready, willing and able to switch to, lets face it, a team with a losing record over the past couple of seasons and no superstars (Although I wouldn't exactly call Miko Koivu and Cal Clutterbuck household names, but I digress...).
So last week I broke down and purchased the NHL's Gamecenter Live package. For $19.95 a month, I can stream HD broadcasts of the Islanders right into my Lauderdale, Minnesota apartment. Since I know I'm not the only out of marketer to frequent this site, I thought I would give a review of Gamecenter so if anyone who is interested can see if its worth the money.
The first thing that attracted me to Gamecenter, and something I was willing to dish out money to get, was the ability to choose between the home and away broadcasts. For internet packages, this is something that is unique to the NHL. The NFL, obviously, only has the Fox or CBS feeds on their Manhattan-only internet package. MLB's service only allows you to watch the home team's broadcast, which is beyond lame if your team is the away team and you're stuck listening to, I don't know Michael Kay and YES' group of buffoons instead of a quality broadcast team like Gary, Kieth and Ron (Sorry Yankees fans, your broadcast team is one of the worst in baseball. Admit it and lets move on.).
The problem with this feature is the second game I watched (Isles vs. Avs), the feature failed and I was stuck with the Avs broadcast all game, Brian Engblom's hair included. But when it works, it's fantastic. There really is nothing to cure homesickness for New York than listening to Howie's Queens accent.
The quality of the feed is outstanding. While its not HD quality you can get over cable, it's pretty damn good. I have my desktop hooked up to a Panasonic Visio HDTV via an HDMI cable. The only time the picture is bad is when the connection lags a bit. My current connection (through the school and free) isn't the best but it works. Depending on your screen and the quality of the resolution, it makes the viewing experience infinitely better than a majority of the less than legal video feeds. For those who quality of picture is a must, the price here is more than justified. You can also choose to have not just a fixed bandwidth length but a variable one based on your computer's connection to avoid unnecessary buffering. Because of this, the audio feed might vary in quality throughout the game but the video tends to remain high quality.
Now not everything about this is good. I mentioned the problem during the Avs game that was thoroughly annoying. Another feature that might drive the real hockey fan nuts is they do not broadcast any of the pre-game or post-game. They put the game on as soon as it begins (Or after it begins, with the Avs game) and pull the feed once the clock strikes 0:00.00. I want my analysis! I don't like staring at a black screen with a rotating NHL logo telling me the game has ended, I want analysis of the win or loss. The final major issue I have with the service is local blackouts. I know there are rules in place, but as a full time student that cannot afford cable let alone HD cable, not being able to watch my local team in the best quality (Or the one time a year the Isles play the Wild) is frustrating.
So the final verdict, if you are a picture quality nut who lives out of Islanders range, Gamecenter Live is a good option for you. While they're still working some kinks out (the service only began last year), it does have some distinct advantages over the other major sports internet services. I don't regret the purchase, as not I don't have to worry about missing the Isles play or relying on less than quality, less than legal streaming feeds of the games.
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That's correct.
I don’t have an internet connection that can support the high speeds necessary to stream HD on MLBTV premium, but I pay the extra so I can get the SNY feed of Met games.
by dontstopbelieving on Oct 20, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Rangers Win!
Thuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh….. Rangers win!
(Sorry – but you have to admit, it’s the logical progression for the YES broadcasters. The only bright side would be that the Rangers are much worse than the Yankees, so you’d only hear it about 35 times a year instead of 100.)
Suspended two games for excellence in commenting
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Yeah, at first I had John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman instead of Michael Kay and the rambling bunch of idiots before realizing that was wrong.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Excellent Review...(testimonial)
I’ve been a Center Ice customer since I could get it… very happy with it. Last year I had some ticker issues and 5 surgeries which started in August and ended in February… being on the cusp of eternal darkness didn’t bather me as much as being forced to miss JT’s rookie season.
When I found out that I could get wi-fi in the hospital I got the game center package. Unfortunately Aetna doesn’t cover the NHL… but it was worth every penny.
I’m sorry Mr Kazinski, TECHNOLOGY DOESN’T ALWAYS SUCK!
It’s like magic… without the rabbit crap in your hat!
we're just glad you're still with us
Suspended two games for excellence in commenting
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
A couple more of those
third period meltdowns and I probably wouldn’t have been.
It’s like magic… without the rabbit crap in your hat!
Giant Kool-Aid man found dead in Virginia
His last words appear to be “Bruno Gervais you bastard!”
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
OH NO!!!
I actually feel like a worse person for finding this picture…
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Damn I’m glad JP’s still with us — and hopefully the Isles’ ticker issues were fixed with his — but that is a wonderful picture.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
That was actually my brother...
Medic… He was shot in the backside by our cousin from Iowa, Farm… when they questioned him he said, “Yeah, I put it in his butt, it’s the only way to get the Aids”.. It appears that he tried to join a gang, but as usual he wasn’t accepted.
The poor guy wasn’t DOA, but it was too late when our sister Band arrived. She was the first Aid at the scene.
His wife, Orange, and their two kids Lemon and Lime were messed up for years. We squeezed Orange into rehab. Lemon took a pledge not to seek revenge, and Lime was last seen in Corona, Queens… battling to shake the bottle.
It was a sad story, especially for Medic’s partner Releef. He’s had to take on most of Medic’s responsibilities except when our uncle Roll is in town…. because nobody spells Releef like Roll Aid.
It’s like magic… without the rabbit crap in your hat!
Questions from a semi-out-of-marketer...
Great writeup, I’ve been thinking about making this move myself of late (due to frustration with Time Warner NY Capital Region not having MSG+2 at all) and the fact that Gamecenter is a better deal than Center Ice. It sounds like Gamecenter does a mostly excellent job getting the actual action feed to you (based on the testimony of yourself and JP), which is all I’d really ask – I have you guys for analysis, after all!
No, my questions are more technical:
1) I assume your computer you’re feeding the stream onto your TV with is also on a wired internet connection?
2) What kind of system specs does the computer you’re running it through have?
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
Personally, I go to college in Philly so Gamecenter was an essential this year after getting fed up with (il)legal streams poor quality or not showing the games at all. It is true, Gamecenter comes through very clear – especially when it is streaming at its highest quality. Here are my answers to your question:
1). I run Gamecenter at its highest quality on a wireless internet connection with no problems (albeit, the wireless router is 5-7 feet from my computer in my bedroom [ I share a 3 bedroom apartment and because I bought the wireless router, the modem went in my room]). If you can watch youtube videos without a problem you can watch Gamecenter without a problem.
2). I do all of this on a 3 year old MacBook Pro (the one before the scrabble keys were introduced!) with 4gb of ram.
Also, I have my MacBook pro hooked up to a 32" 720p Samsung HDTV using an HDMI cable as well. The picture quality is awesome still on the tv (most times, because a computer screen has much better resolution then a tv screen the picture can get fuzzy/pixelated/etc). I do recommend getting one of those laptop cooling fan placemat things that you put your laptop ontop of to keep it cool if you are hooking up your tv to your laptop. My Mac gets pretty hot. You can get a Logitech cooling pad for $25 on Amazon and it plugs into your USB for power so there isnt a stupid adapter or anything. It runs really quiet too (like literally you cant hear it) but it keeps your laptop from burning out.
Scrabble keys
Are awesome. My brother got one of the newer Sony laptops with ’em, and it just types better.
My desktop is a fairly powerful machine – I use it for code compilation among other things – so cooling is not an issue.
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
I’m running it on a line, but my service provider is Luther Seminary so the bandwidth depends greatly on the traffic of the entire campus. The comp I’m running it on is a year and a half old Dell Inspiron with whaqt was the highest offered video card at the time.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
A, a campus fractal T-line.
I remember those well. If you know a sysadmin, you can get your node prioritized… =p
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
The admins here don’t know what they’re doing. When the connection died in my old room (I now live in an apartment after moving out of the rustic charm of the school’s 100 year old dormitory two months ago) they said it was my computer’s internet card that was the problem when it was obviously the connection.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Ouch.
That’s kinda brutal. Like, “go find a bucket of prop wash!” brutal. =/
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
Meh, I’m used to horrible PC Help Desk types that I know more about computers than they do. This is especially true when you grow up the son of a guy who spent 30 years running the computer systems of CitiBank, JP Morgan, Bell Atlantic and Verizon and has spent the last 10 years as a college professor at CUNY teaching comp systems management.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 7:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't always drink Gamecenter, but when I do I choose a wireless router
It’s actually a 7-year-old router, too, and it feeds from my second floor to a Mac Mini on the first floor. Looks beautiful but I don’t port it to my TV. Haven’t had any stream issues, although as David noted last week and I experienced this week when my cable company failed me (again), the stream ended up being a full 1-2 minutes behind by the end of the game.
You guys were all freaking Nostradamus to me during the third period of the game thread. (“‘Penalty coming?’ But we’re at a commercial…WTF?” No idea how common that is.)
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
So, uh…early wireless B. Wow. That’s pretty good compression, then.
Some of the lag can almost certainly be attributed to compression/decompression and encrypt/decrypt…that’ll build up through a stream of anything as it runs, just from packet loss and memory buffers filling up.
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
Ha, because I haven’t used Gamecenter much and don’t do much demand on the thing, I’d never thought of that. It really is silly that I still have this thing but I never put much demand on it and I’m lazy.
Also: Three cheers to MTBVibe’s avatar! Puts me in a nice state of mind.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
Why thank you!
The particular state would be Vermont, actually – up in the Northeast Kingdom. Beautiful area!
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
by MTBVibe on Oct 20, 2010 7:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
As a fellow Capital Region resident, I share in the Time Warner related frustration, as well as the problem of some Islanders games being bumped back by MSG in favor of the Sabres, Devils, Smurfs, Knicks, high school football games, MMA fights, boxing matches, taped replays of croquet and cricket matches from 1977, etc.
I currently have Time Warner for Internet and cable, but I would have to wonder if Islanders games would be subject to blackouts on Gamecenter since some games are televised in Upstate New York markets, outside of such places like Buffalo and Rochester.
I've wondered that myself.
If I do decide to go this way, I’ll certainly call the 1-800 first and ask questions like that one. I can let you know what I find out if I do, if you’d like?
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
One thing about Albany I do not miss
is TimeWarner’s BS.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Great service for out-of-towners
I moved to California in 1993. Other than the rare nationally televised Islander games, I only saw them when they came out to play the Sharks. This summer I decided to get the NHL gamecenter package. It’s been a great solution and I would recommend it to any fan that can’t get out to see the team in person. This season I’ve found that sometimes I get the pre-game show and sometimes not. I do recall watching the Avalanche pre-game show but the video quality was horrible. The team’s blue jerseys were orange and skin tones were blue. By the start of the game the video was corrected. I also like the fact that with a gamecenter pass you have a DVR function. I rarely make it home in time to see the games live, but you can watch from start to finish at any time. As someone who’s only followed the team by the internet for the last 17 years it’s great to see the non-game portion of the broadcast. Seeing some of the interviews and behind the scenes team activities between periods really helps you connect with the players when your 3000 miles away.
HD
“While its not HD quality you can get over cable, it’s pretty damn good.”
HD is very overrated. Give me a standard definition feed anyday. if the digital HD signal craps out in the least, the image skips and ghosts, and you miss chunks of the action. under SD, you get a little static and can hear the uninterrupted signal. advantage, SD.
and personally, i’ve never noticed any difference, other than the ice is whiter/bluer in HD. big deal.
I disagree. Especially in hockey, with the small puck that is relatively hard to pick up on standard def, higher quality is vital. At least my history with Cablevision too, the standard on MSG+, MSG+ 2, MSG+ ect., is such shit you need to watch the HD broadcast if you want to enjoy the game.
HD is very overrated.
Have you actually watched any sports on a true HD cable/satellite feed with a real HDTV? I thought for the longest time it was overrated until I actually sat down and watched sports on my friend’s HDTV. Now I have a hard time watching sports in standard def.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions
i’ve never had a problem following the puck on SD way before HD even came out. i just know to look to a certain part of the ice for it after it is shot around the boards or on caroms or whatnot.
you could also sit with your nose against the glass
I’ll agree that there’s not much difference on 36" and less, but when you get to 42" and above, and especially into the 50’s, it makes a big difference. Even on our 40" at home, there’s a noticeable improvement. (I saw JT’s overtime shot better than Giguere did.) The pixel glitches you’re talking about are a hassle, true; they’re not the fault of the HD but of the satellite portion of the broadcast being interrupted or interfered with somehow. That can happen in SD too, it has nothing to do with the set or the converter box.
HD feed + HDMI cables + 1080p set = awesome sports viewing.
Suspended two games for excellence in commenting
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Hockey and 1080 are a match in heaven
Hockey has always had a tougher time with TV than the other sports because of the speed. On a high def big screen it just rocks. I got a 47" 1080p and it’s just awesome…except when it’s on MSG+2000 where it looks like the game’s being played in North Korea.
Drink of the Month: Bailey's on Ice.
LOL
except when it’s on MSG+2000 where it looks like the game’s being played in North Korea.
I love the variety of descriptions (and names) everyone has for MSG+2. We could create a separate glossary section on that alone.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey and MacDonald were important.
I disagree too
Nullzero, that sounds like a reception problem rather than an HD problem. Maybe HD-over-the-air (instead of over cable) problem?
Because I’ve had that in the past because my cable company is bloodsucking, service-poor scum (in other words, it is a 21st-century telecom company), where the reception jerked like that to the point it wasn’t worth it. But now that they have so promptly (read: 8-12 months) addressed this area of concern, the HD runs smoothly and it is absolutely beauuuuutiful.
Besides, when Wisniewski does his Shake Weight routine, you really pick up the nuance in HD.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
Besides, when Wisniewski does his Shake Weight routine, you really pick up the nuance in HD.
Is that comment supposed to be tongue in cheek?
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Speechless
I’ve thought and tried…but I have no comeback to that without going so far in the gutter I’ll never get out.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
You kind of teed it up for me though.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 6:56 PM EDT up reply actions
He made it, ah…hard…for you to resist. Basically just put it right on the tip of your tongue, as it were…?
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
This is the point where I bow out because I’m pretty sure I won’t get endorsed for internship, much less ordained, if I continue down this path.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions
that's a new milestone for LHH
We’re now officially a near occasion of sin for seminarians.
Suspended two games for excellence in commenting
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
it’s not a reception thing. i can have a perfect signal and i just prefer the SD feed. i just brought up the ghosting thing as a reason to avoid HD.
Interesting — I haven’t had any such problem like that, so I’m not even sure how that looks. All my problems have been with the cable company going short on juice, which is incidentally what’s forced me to GameCenter a few times.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
HD vs. SD and sports
On cable or satellite: Try putting the SD version of a channel on, and then switching directly to the HD version. Go back and forth during high definition programming (I recommend an NFL game) using the last channel button on your remote.
If you can’t see a difference, you need to have some sharp words with your optometrist.
Lighthouse Hockey: I go there for their taste in beer.
I used to work at a retail store that had football on the TVs (with HD being next to SD) on Sunday, and the only difference to me was that on HD you could make out the faces of people in the crowd.
Not a complaint, because I know Hockey is a different beast and being able to see the puck much clearer in HD is a great gift.
After the 2nd Period of Opening Night "Best Period of the year" DevonPSU
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
i;ve tried this, and like i said, the ice is whiter (or for football, the grass is greener). or you can make out creases in jerseys or whatnot. it;s stuff that doesn;t add any value for me. it almost seems to be a distraction in football.
like the other repy to this individual post – he could make out faces in the crowd – that’s fantastic, but i couldn’t care less about the people in the crowd if i’m focusing on the game.
the SD feed just seems…warmer…to me. the HD looks too “fake”.
i guess its like when audiophiles complain about CDs and digital copies of music over-compressing the signal where you lose the ambiance that you get with records. personally, i think the staticy sound sucks, but i get their point now. i’ve actually changed the signal feed at work watching football from 1080 to 480 (or SD) because the game doesn;t look as good to me in HD.
I can definitely identify with that. There is only so much value that being able to make out each blade of grass FieldTurf adds.
I don’t care much about other sports, but one thing I like with HD hockey is simply the aspect ratio. You see more of the rink, and thus have a little more clue on how plays are developing and/or why.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey were important.
by Dominik on Oct 21, 2010 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
How does it truly compare with mlb.tv premium?
I use the mlbtv for mets games here in DC.
Its sounds like a good deal, but I would prefer to watch it on a bigger screen than my laptop.
Perhaps slingbox instead on my parents’ tv in NY?
I use it on a large screen HDTV, so it works on larger screens.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 6:55 PM EDT up reply actions
And to answer your initial question, I haven’t subscribed to mlb.tv in about two years so I don’t know how they’d really compare now.
A contributor to Lighthouse Hockey. Pretty sure I'm not the enforcer since I am studying to be a minister, but I can't shoot a puck accurately so not the sniper... Is there an other category?
by David Hanssen on Oct 20, 2010 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Center Ice
BTW, In case your interested in any of tonight’s games, Center Ice is free…..
Get out of the sticks, Charles, move to Queens!! Come, Get some respect a Professional team deserves!!
mlb.tv
i use mlb.tv, and have the option of which broadcast to watch, home or away (most of the time anyway…sometimes they only have one feed). i always watch my team’s broadcast, don’t know why you couldn’t. and center ice was not like that last year (which was VERY aggravating) i watched 90% of my isles games last year with the other team’s announcers, and it SUCKED. i was excited that they seemed to have changed that this year.
by isles in arkansas on Oct 21, 2010 2:26 AM EDT reply actions
The lack of proper broadcasts seems to be due to two factors for me, either MSG feels like being cheap and only bothers to show one feed when the NY teams play each other (And by that i mean the rangers feed), Or the fact that Atlanta is evil and only seems to be willing to send the home feed to center ice. (though they have an HD camera now! progress!)
I strongly protest Mike Weber's pressbox incarceration.
Everything wrong with the Sabres is Drew Stafford's fault.
Thanks for this
I was on the fence, but you pushed me over:
https://gamecenter.nhl.com/nhlgc/secure/gclsignup
I didn’t see a link, so I thought I’d share.
Thanks
I’m in a very similar situation (just moved out of the NY area for grad school) and have been thinking about getting Gamecenter. I’ll probably hold out until next semester (mainly because I don’t really have the free time to watch every game, but I think I’ve been convinced to get it once my schedule becomes less hectic.
(mainly because I don’t really have the free time to watch every game,
Man, that is a huge factor, too, because you get tempted with all the other games that are available. It’s like NFL Sunday every day of the week.
Also: If you’re schedule clears up in the spring, they usually do run modest half-season discounts some time after the new year.
Lighthouse Hockey: You say that like Streit and Okposo and Schremp and Bailey and MacDonald were important.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
