It is written into the source code, that the Rangers (or “Short Island Smurfs” or “Rags” or “Red Pants” if you will) are once and forever the New York Islanders’ biggest rival.
That basic, dogmatic reality will never change.
It’s etched into their name, it’s baked into the fact they are the NHL’s first post-war derby. That the Islanders came into the league and stole local fans steadily and permanently, overcoming a beginning where Rangers fans relished the suburban safety of Nassau Coliseum. That it took the Manhattan team nearly five times as long to win one Edmonton-sourced Stanley Cup as it took the Islanders to win four.