Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, then returned in 1985. His SportsWatch column debuted on Sept.
Newsday readers were greeted Sunday morning by a sports section cover featuring John Tavares in mid-yell, his left arm raised in triumph after a big moment earlier in the Islanders’ first-round series against the Panthers.
The Rangers? Old news already, sent packing by the Penguins about 12 hours before Sunday’s papers were delivered and five years to the day since their last first-round exit.
Islanders headline: “ONE MORE!” in big type. Rangers: “NO MORE” in small type.
So it goes, and things are going the Islanders’ way at last in the latest turn in the New York area’s best sports rivalry — even if the teams haven’t met in the playoffs since 1994.