diff --git a/src/core/Akka/Event/EventStream.cs b/src/core/Akka/Event/EventStream.cs
index b7310b5eace..0c35364f12b 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka/Event/EventStream.cs
+++ b/src/core/Akka/Event/EventStream.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 using System.Linq;
 using Akka.Actor;
 using Akka.Actor.Internal;
+using Akka.Dispatch;
 using Akka.Util;
 using Akka.Util.Internal;
 
@@ -29,8 +30,13 @@ public class EventStream : LoggingBus
     {
         private readonly bool _debug;
 
-        private readonly AtomicReference<Either<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>, IActorRef>> _initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber =
-            new AtomicReference<Either<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>, IActorRef>>();
+        // used to uniquely name unsubscribers instances, should there be more than one ActorSystem / EventStream
+        private static readonly AtomicCounter UnsubscribersCounter = new AtomicCounter(0);
+        private readonly AtomicReference<IActorRef> _unsubscriber = new AtomicReference<IActorRef>(ActorRefs.NoSender);
+        
+        // in the event that an actor subscribers to the EventStream prior to ActorSystemImpl.Init is called
+        // we register them here and then move them all
+        private readonly ConcurrentSet<IActorRef> _pendingUnsubscribers = new ConcurrentSet<IActorRef>();
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="EventStream"/> class.
@@ -108,88 +114,69 @@ public override bool Unsubscribe(IActorRef subscriber)
         }
 
         /// <summary>
-        /// TBD
+        /// Used to start the Unsubscriber actor, responsible for garabage-collecting
+        /// all expired subscriptions when the subscribed actor terminates.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="system">TBD</param>
         public void StartUnsubscriber(ActorSystemImpl system)
         {
-            EventStreamUnsubscribersProvider.Instance.Start(system, this, _debug);
-        }
-
-        /// <summary>
-        /// TBD
-        /// </summary>
-        /// <param name="unsubscriber">TBD</param>
-        /// <param name="system">TBD</param>
-        /// <returns>TBD</returns>
-        public bool InitUnsubscriber(IActorRef unsubscriber, ActorSystem system)
-        {
-            if (system == null)
-            {
-                return false;
-            }
-
-            return _initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.Match().With<Left<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>>>(v =>
+            if (_unsubscriber.Value.IsNobody())
             {
-                if (_initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.CompareAndSet(v, Either.Right(unsubscriber)))
+                lock (this)
                 {
-                    if (_debug)
-                    {
-                        Publish(new Debug(SimpleName(this), GetType(),
-                            string.Format("initialized unsubscriber to: {0}  registering {1} initial subscribers with it", unsubscriber, v.Value.Count)));
+                    // not started
+                    var currentValue = _unsubscriber.Value;
+                    var unsubscriber= system.SystemActorOf(Props.Create<EventStreamUnsubscriber>(this, system, _debug).WithDispatcher(Dispatchers.InternalDispatcherId),
+                        $"EventStreamUnsubscriber-{UnsubscribersCounter.IncrementAndGet()}");
 
+                    if (_unsubscriber.CompareAndSet(currentValue, unsubscriber))
+                    {
+                        // backfill all pending unsubscribers
+                        foreach (var s in _pendingUnsubscribers)
+                        {
+                            unsubscriber.Tell(new EventStreamUnsubscriber.Register(s));
+                        }
+                        _pendingUnsubscribers.Clear();
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        // somehow, despite being locked, we managed to lose the compare and swap
+                        if (_unsubscriber.Value.IsNobody())
+                            throw new IllegalActorStateException("EventStream is corrupted");
                     }
-                    v.Value.ForEach(RegisterWithUnsubscriber);
-
-
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    InitUnsubscriber(unsubscriber, system);
                 }
+            }
+        }
 
-
-            }).With<Right<IActorRef>>(presentUnsubscriber =>
-            {
-                if (_debug)
-                {
-                    Publish(new Debug(SimpleName(this), GetType(),
-                        string.Format("not using unsubscriber {0}, because already initialized with {1}", unsubscriber, presentUnsubscriber)));
-
-                }
-            }).WasHandled;
+        [Obsolete("Should be removed in 1.5")]
+        public bool InitUnsubscriber(IActorRef unsubscriber, ActorSystem system)
+        {
+            StartUnsubscriber((ActorSystemImpl)system);
+            return true;
         }
 
         private void RegisterWithUnsubscriber(IActorRef subscriber)
         {
-            _initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.Match().With<Left<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>>>(v =>
+            if (_unsubscriber.Value.IsNobody())
             {
-                if (_initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.CompareAndSet(v,
-                    Either.Left<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>>(v.Value.Add(subscriber))))
-                {
-                    RegisterWithUnsubscriber(subscriber);
-                }
-
-            }).With<Right<IActorRef>>(unsubscriber =>
+                // pending
+                _pendingUnsubscribers.TryAdd(subscriber);
+            }
+            else
             {
-                unsubscriber.Value.Tell( new EventStreamUnsubscriber.Register(subscriber));
-            });
+                _unsubscriber.Value.Tell( new EventStreamUnsubscriber.Register(subscriber));
+            }
+            
         }
 
         private void UnregisterIfNoMoreSubscribedChannels(IActorRef subscriber)
         {
-            _initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.Match().With<Left<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>>>(v =>
+            // not an important operation. If we fail to process this message due to a race condition, then the
+            // death watch subscription is a no-op anyway.
+            if (!_unsubscriber.Value.IsNobody())
             {
-                if (_initiallySubscribedOrUnsubscriber.CompareAndSet(v,
-                    Either.Left<IImmutableSet<IActorRef>>(v.Value.Remove(subscriber))))
-                {
-                    UnregisterIfNoMoreSubscribedChannels(subscriber);
-                }
-
-            }).With<Right<IActorRef>>(unsubscriber =>
-            {
-                unsubscriber.Value.Tell(new EventStreamUnsubscriber.UnregisterIfNoMoreSubscribedChannels(subscriber));
-            });
+                _unsubscriber.Value.Tell(new EventStreamUnsubscriber.UnregisterIfNoMoreSubscribedChannels(subscriber));
+            }
         }
     }
 }