The Islanders and Rangers faced off for their first of five regular season meetings tonight at the Nassau Coliseum. And, for the first time in a long time -- an awfully long time -- the game meant something more than cheap-seat beer fights.

For the NHL, which needs a strong presence in New York, and for true New York hockey fans, who've been thirsting for good hockey, that's very good news.

The clubs stand 1-2 in the Atlantic Division standings, even after the front-running Isles fell to the Rangers 6-2 Thursday night. The new-look Islanders have been ridiculously spectacular, going 11-2-1-1 in their first 15 games. Against Eastern Conference foes, they're 10-1-0 (Thursday's loss is their only blemish).

Ten wins. One loss. No ties. As Rangers TV broadcaster John Davidson might say, "WOW-ooo!"

The Rangers, meanwhile, have slowly been getting their act together. Yeah, they still don't really believe in a defensive system, but they've won four straight and -- at 9-7-1-0 -- are over the .500 mark.

In the 1970s and '80s, there were few rivalries in any sport that matched the intensity of an Islander-Ranger tilt. Not only did the fans hate one another, but so did the players. On the Isles' side, fans chanted "1940" to remind their rivals of the year of the Rangers' last Stanley Cup. (Of course, that chant went out of style in 1994.) Ranger fans, to this day, chant, "Potvin Sucks," at home games. The Potvin they're commenting on is Denis Potvin, the Isles' Hall of Fame defenseman, who retired in 1988.

Why do they hate Potvin? Well, back in the late '70s, the Islanders captain delivered a nasty check to Rangers center Ulf Nilsson, who suffered a broken ankle on the play. Rangers fans have memories like elephants.

From the beginning, the Rangers were the big city, Original Six team playing in the World's Most Famous Arena. The Islanders, meanwhile, were the suburban upstarts skating in that lovely little bandbox off the highway. Technically, the rivalry began when the Islanders entered the NHL as an expansion team in the 1972-73 season. The Rangers swept that initial six-game season series, outscoring the hapless first-year Isles, 25-5.

But fans know the hatred really began in 1975, when the three-year-old Islanders stunned the Rangers in a best-of-three first-round playoff series. Islanders LW J.P. Parise netted the series winner just 11 seconds into OT. The goal propelled the Isles to a long stretch of success, while sinking the Rangers into three seasons of disarray.

The Rangers evened the score in 1979 when, behind then-goaltender Davidson, they shocked the powerhouse Islanders in a six-game Cup semifinal series. Ranger fans can still see Ron Greschner's slapper elude Islanders stopper Chico Resch in the decisive Game 6. (Oh, by the way, Greschner's ex-wife, Carol Alt, now dates Islanders star Alexei Yashin. Go figure?)

The Islanders rebounded from that crushing defeat by winning four straight Stanley Cups between 1980-1983. Along the way, among their 19 consecutive playoff series victories (which includes a run to the Cup finals in 1984), the Isles dusted the Rangers in four playoff series. The last of which, the best-of-five division semifinal in '84, was the most crushing for the Blueshirts.

Rangers LW Don Maloney, who finished his career as an Islander and later became the club's GM before returning to the Rangers in his current role as assistant GM, scored a controversial goal in the final minute of regulation to send the fifth and deciding game to OT. After a couple of close calls by the Rangers (do you remember Mikko Leinonen?), Islanders D Ken Morrow slid a low shot past a screened goalie, Glen Hanlon, to end it. I know at least one transistor radio that was smashed that night ... and it wasn't mine.

Since then, New York's hockey teams have met just twice in the postseason. And, both times, the Rangers dominated. In 1990, they clubbed the Isles in five games. Then, four years later, en route to their first Cup in 54 years, the Rangers demolished the Islanders in a four game sweep, outscoring them by an embarrassing 22-3 count. Ouch!

The Islanders haven't been back to the playoffs since the nightmare of '94. Things haven't been much better for the Rangers, who made their last postseason appearance in 1997. Last season, the games between the clubs, while competitive on the ice, were void of meaning. Now each team brings storylines to the table. The matchups are tasty: Chris Osgood vs. Mike Richter. Michael Peca vs. Eric Lindros. Peter Laviolette vs. Ron Low.

The Nassau Coliseum, suddenly an "in" place again, should be sold out and rockin'. Islanders GM Mike Milbury has rolled out the red carpet, saying he welcomes the "low-IQ Rangers fans." The winner gets braggin' rights until Dec. 21 when they meet at Madison Square Garden.

To the fans of both clubs, enjoy! It's been a long time coming.

E.J. Hradek writes puck for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.