THE SIDELINES : Rangers Name General Manager

The Rangers ended seven weeks of front-office turmoil today by naming Neil Smith as their new general manager.

Smith, 35, the ninth general manager in Rangers history, comes to New York after seven years with the Detroit Red Wings, where he served as chief scout and general manager of the Adirondack Red Wings, Detroit’s top farm team, which won the American Hockey League championship this spring.

He replaces Phil Esposito, who was fired May 24, 7 1/2 weeks after Esposito fired Michel Bergeron and took over as coach with two games left in the regular NHL season. The Rangers lost both regular-season games under Esposito and were swept by Pittsburgh in the Patrick Division semifinals.