"But there are only a certain amount of adjustments you can make," the Ranger coach said before the playoffs began.

The Ranger coach was said to have had a significant role in persuading Smith to make the deal.

It had been almost a year since the Ranger coach was asked about the possibility of being fired.

"We had guys coming off the ice a little catty with each other," the Ranger coach said.

"Wayne has a quest to make sure his detractors are never right," the Ranger coach said.

But the Ranger coach said the wing's comments may have been more offensive to his teammates.

No Ranger coach or player seemed to realize that the team was playing short-handed.

Ranger fans, and several former Ranger coaches, can guess what happened next.

He scored with 3 minutes 38 seconds remaining, on a shot the Ranger coach thought could have been stopped.

"It had all the components of a great series," the Ranger coach was saying yesterday.