As I glance at today's NHL standings, I find that three teams are tied for the most points in the league. It hardly seems a shock to find the Detroit Red Wings atop their division. For starters, they still have many of the players on their roster who helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997 and '98. Furthermore, their coach, Scotty Bowman, has the most wins of any coach in NHL history and is the owner of half a dozen Stanley Cup titles. Finally, the Wings executed, arguably, the best past off-season of any NHL team, as they picked up free agents Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and most notably, two-time league MVP Dominic Hasek.

More surprising, though, are the Calgary Flames and the New York Islanders. Calgary is off to the second best start in franchise history. Who can forget the smile on the Flames' Lanny McDonald, when he hoisted The Cup above his head in 1989, finally winning the big one at the end of his illustrious career? The Flames would love to see that same smile on young right-winger Jarome Iginla. Iginla currently leads the team in scoring and was recently named the NHL's player of the week. In addition, Calgary picked up goaltender Roman Turek from the St. Louis Blues this past off-season, giving them a much-increased chance of competing in the difficult Western Conference.

Finally, we have the Islanders. Yes, those lovable losers have evolved into the team with the fewest losses in the league. Long-suffering Islanders fans have started to return to the Nassau Coliseum. The biggest reasons for this sudden change in play are owners Charles B. Wang and Sanjay Kumar. The two, upon buying the struggling team last season, have completely revitalized Long Island hockey. With their financial assistance, Islanders' General Manager Mike Milbury finally had some money to spend on some big names. Islanders' fans can finally stop wearing those yellowed Bossy and Trottier jerseys from twenty years ago. Fans can start showing up to games other than on nights the Isles play the Rangers.

Much like Calgary's acquisition of Turek rejuvenated the Flames, this past off-season was crucial to the resurgence of the Isles. First came the trade with the Ottawa Senators for Alexei Yashin. The Islanders gave up a top draft pick, but got one of the NHL's top scorers in return. In a separate trade with Buffalo, the Islanders sent highly touted center Tim Connolly in exchange for Michael Peca, who possesses both skill and tremendous leadership abilities. The final piece of the new Islanders fell into place when the team grabbed goalie Chris Osgood just before the season.

Many people believe that what the Islanders are doing now will not last. In all likelihood, that is true. Teams like the Devils or Flyers, both off to bad starts, will probably soon overtake them. The Islanders might end up like baseball's Minnesota Twins, who were the hottest team in the league for the much of the season, and then completely fell off the map.

But perhaps the winning tradition has returned for good to the Coliseum. Maybe the Islanders can bring back those winning days from the 1980's when they won four Cups in a row. As a Mets fan, I've had to suffer through the Yankees' success over the past few years. As a Ranger fan, I'm just hoping for the best. So Islanders fans, get out, buy yourselves a Yashin or Peca jersey and show your support. And don't forget the Ranger fans still owe you guys some taunting for all those "1940" chants.