New York Islanders legend Bob Bourne believes the 1980s teams should be among the first mentioned in the debate about the greatest sports dynasties of all time.
The Islanders won four straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983 before losing to the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers in the 1984 Final. Bourne believes those 19 playoff series successes in a row are a feat that will never be matched by any team in sports.
"Nineteen wins in a row. No one says it. I never see it. It's always the Chicago Bulls, maybe the New England Patriots. But no one gives us credit," Bourne told NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "Nineteen. That's what I'm very proud of. No one in this world, in any sport, will ever beat 19 in a row. No one. It's impossible. And we did it."
The 1990s Bulls won six championships in eight years, but they managed to win only 13 playoff series in a row. Meanwhile, the Patriots' longest postseason win streak is seven games. Even the 1960s Boston Celtics, who won 11 rings in 13 years, peaked at winning 18 straight playoff series, as the majority of their postseason runs required only two series.
Sunday marked the 40-year anniversary of the Islanders' first Cup. Bourne is rarely mentioned alongside Hall of Fame teammates Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies, or Billy Smith, but he was an integral part of those teams, tallying 74 points in 74 playoff games during the four Cup runs.
Find line reports, best bets, and subscribe to push notifications in the Betting News section.
We might get playoff hockey, after all.
The NHL took a giant leap toward completing the 2019-20 season when the NHLPA voted to approve a 24-team, conference-based tournament format. The details are still being ironed out but, essentially, the top-four seeds in each conference would get a bye to the standard 16-team playoff, with the remaining squads engaging in shorter play-in series.
Sportsbooks have updated their Stanley Cup odds to reflect the new format, with the top seeds sitting at significantly shorter prices.
TEAM
ODDS
Tampa Bay Lightning
6-1
Boston Bruins
6-1
Vegas Golden Knights
6-1
Colorado Avalanche
8-1
St. Louis Blues
10-1
Washington Capitals
10-1
Philadelphia Flyers
12-1
Dallas Stars
14-1
Pittsburgh Penguins
16-1
Toronto Maple Leafs
30-1
Edmonton Oilers
40-1
Nashville Predators
40-1
Arizona Coyotes
50-1
Carolina Hurricanes
50-1
Calgary Flames
50-1
Vancouver Canucks
50-1
Winnipeg Jets
50-1
Columbus Blue Jackets
80-1
Florida Panthers
80-1
Minnesota Wild
80-1
New York Islanders
80-1
New York Rangers
80-1
Chicago Blackhawks
100-1
Montreal Canadiens
100-1
The eight teams with the shortest odds are the top-four seeds in each conference, and they'll avoid the play-in series. That's been baked into their prices, sapping much of the value from their lines.
Regardless of whether they avoid the play-in, winning four best-of-seven series to capture the Stanley Cup is an incredibly tough task, so you won't find me investing in the likes of the Lightning, Bruins, or Golden Knights at the short price of 6-1. The Avalanche don't offer any value at 8-1, either.
The 2018 and 2019 Stanley Cup champions, the Blues and Capitals, are a bit more reasonably priced at 10-1, with the Flyers (12-1) and Stars (14-1) rounding out the top seeds.
However, these odds don't reflect the fact that teams that win the play-in series could be significantly sharper than those with byes after the long layoff, as those clubs won't have played for close to four months.
Rounding out the upper tier are the Penguins (16-1), who are the only non-top-four seed with shorter than 30-1 odds and will be considered large favorites over the Canadiens (100-1) in their play-in series. Pittsburgh will also have Jake Guentzel back from injury.
There is then a large drop-off on the oddsboard before getting to the Maple Leafs (30-1), who are the first true value play on the board should they get past the Blue Jackets (80-1). The winner of this series will see its odds slashed in half - at the very least - following the play-in round.
The same applies to every team involved in the play-in series. If you're looking for the best value, hop on board before the action returns. Waiting to see which teams win the first-round matchups to qualify for the playoffs will only result in the value being sucked out of their current prices.
Among the play-in teams that jump out to me as great value bets are the Hurricanes (50-1), Canucks (50-1), Panthers (80-1), and Rangers (80-1).
Carolina and Vancouver will be fully healthy following the break, and both possess the sort of elite young players who should be least impacted by this hiatus, while the Panthers and Rangers have a healthy blend of scoring and goaltending that makes them very dangerous late seeds.
The Blackhawks (100-1) and Canadiens (100-1) are interesting if only because of Patrick Kane and Carey Price, who possess the kind of star power that can send their respective teams on a deep run should they get hot at the right time.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
The Carolina Hurricanes were one of two clubs to vote against the proposed 24-team playoff format on Friday due to the possible handicap it puts on the team.
The Tampa Bay Lightning were the other team to vote no, citing similar reasons.
At the time of the 2019-20 season's pause on March 12, the Hurricanes sat in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 38-25-5 record.
Martinook added that the format may give fringe teams an advantage, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.
Under the proposed format, 16 teams will need to take part in a best-of-five play-in series in order to secure a spot in the playoffs. Only the top four teams in each conference are guaranteed a berth.
The Hurricanes would be set to take on the New York Rangers in their play-in series if the format is ultimately approved. After voting in favor to authorize further negotiations on the format on Friday, a formal announcement of approval is expected in the coming days.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
The NHL and NHLPA sent out a lengthy Phase 2 protocol memo to teams and players on Monday. The memo details the plan to reopen team facilities and allow small group workouts.
"Based on the current information available, we are now targeting a date in early June for a transition to Phase 2," the memo reads. "However, it has not yet been determined when precisely Phase 2 will start or how long it may last. We are continuing to monitor developments in each of the club’s markets, and may adjust the overall timing if appropriate, following discussion with all relevant parties."
The memo outlines how teams can safely return to practice facilities and the protocols players and staff must follow to do so. It adds that participation during this phase is strictly voluntary, and players outside of their home cities are not yet required to return.
Players may need to serve a 14-day quarantine upon arrival in their club's city. If they traveled via airplane or train, it will be mandatory to isolate. Players from teams who are sheltering in proximity to another team's facility may request access to that facility to train.
Phase 2 will allow a maximum of six players in a practice facility at one time, and no coaches or personnel will be allowed on the ice with them. Players will need to wear face coverings at all times - other than while exercising or on the ice - when entering or leaving the facility and while inside where social distancing cannot be maintained.
When it comes to testing players and staff during Phase 2, the NHL will do so as long as tests are available.
"As an over-riding principle, testing of asymptomatic players and club personnel must be done in the context of excess testing capacity, so as to not deprive health care workers, vulnerable populations, and symptomatic individuals from necessary diagnostic tests."
Players and staff will be given a COVID-19 nasal swab test two days before the commencement of Phase 2, and will be tested two times per week afterward, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston. They must also self-administer temperature and symptom checks daily.
There was no mention of Phase 3 (training camp) and Phase 4 (return to play) in the memo.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
In addition to New York sports teams getting the go-ahead to open training camps, one of the state's NHL franchises received some more good news Sunday.
The Islanders halted work at the site in late March amid the coronavirus pandemic after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo expanded his temporary ban on non-essential projects throughout the state.
Construction began last September, and the building was originally scheduled to open for the start of the 2021-22 season.
The site for the new facility is adjacent to the Belmont Park racetrack.
Cuomo said Sunday that all of the state's sports squads could open training camps effective immediately while following the appropriate health protocols.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
Sports teams based in New York can start conducting training camps as of Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
"I believe that sports that can come back without having people in the stadium, without having people in the arena, do it," Cuomo said. "Work out the economics if you can. We want you up (and running).
"We want people to be able to watch sports (while) still staying home. It gives people something to do, it's a return to normalcy, so we are working and encouraging all (New York-based) sports teams to start their training camps as soon as possible and we'll work with them to make sure that can happen."
All the leagues in question have suspended play due to the coronavirus pandemic except the NFL, with that league's 2020 campaign set to begin in September.
Several weeks ago, it was reported that NHL teams wouldn't reopen their facilities until all of that league's clubs could do so at or around the same time.
Find out the latest on COVID-19's impact on the sports world and when sports are returning by subscribing to Breaking News push notifications in the Sports and COVID-19 section.
Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf signed an order Friday exempting foreign-born professional athletes from being denied entry into the country.
"Professional sporting events provide much-needed economic benefits, but equally important, they provide community pride and national unity," Wolf wrote. "In today's environment, Americans need their sports. It's time to reopen the economy and it's time we get our professional athletes back to work."
Wolf's order specifically mentions Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the Women's National Basketball Association, the PGA and LPGA tours, and the ATP and WTA tennis tours. In addition to athletes, the order also exempts each league's "essential staff and their dependents."
MLB, the NBA, and the NHL are all working on plans to either begin or resume their seasons amid the pandemic.
It was reported Friday that MLB safety protocols will not require players to quarantine if they are returning to the U.S. from abroad; some foreign-born players returned to their respective home countries when the league halted spring training in mid-March.
Some in the NBA are apparently hoping players will be allowed to report directly to potential game sites in order to avoid quarantining. Orlando's Disney World is reportedly emerging as a top site to host the resumed basketball season.