The two New York National Hockey League teams are the Rangers , who play at Madison Square Garden, and the Islanders , whose venue is the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. The New Jersey Devils play at the Continental Airlines Arena. The regular season lasts throughout the winter and into early spring, when the playoffs take place. Prices for games range $14-85.

The Rangers ended a 54-year drought in 1994, when they won the Stanley Cup. Since then they have not had as much success, but are always competitive. The Islanders, New York's "other" hockey team, are undergoing a resurgence after years of mediocrity. The Devils won the Stanley Cup in 2000, and the 2001 campaign saw them battle (and ultimately lose to) the Colorado Avalanche in the finals.

Nassau Coliseum 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale, New York; box office daily 10.45am-5.45pm; tickets $14-85; tel 516/794-9300. Take the Long Island Railroad to Hempstead, then bus #N70, #N71 or #N72 from Hempstead bus terminal, one block away.