In The Crease

Last week the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation was prepared to send a delegation to Detroit to try to coax the Red Wings' Scotty Bowman into coaching the country's team during the Salt Lake City Olympics next year. The mission was called off when Bowman, who has dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, told Latvian representatives he wasn't interested in the job....

The Oilers have been thrilled with the development of 21-year-old defenseman Eric Brewer, a 6'3" 220-pounder who was obtained in a deal with the Islanders last summer. Don't be surprised if 6'6", 215-pound Alexei Semenov, who was drafted by Edmonton in the second round in 1999 and is starring for the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario (Junior) Hockey League, joins Brewer on the back line next season. Scouts say the hard-hitting Semenov is a can't-miss prospect....

Blues coaches are raving about the dedication of newly acquired left wing Keith Tkachuk. They say he's usually the first to arrive in the dressing room and the last to leave after games and practices....

Don't underestimate the importance of injured center Daymond Langkow to the Flyers' postseason chances. Many people in the Philadelphia organization say that Langkow, who suffered two broken feet on Feb. 25 and is sidelined indefinitely, is indispensable because he contributes offensively (51 points in 67 games), kills penalties and plays outstanding defense. The Flyers, who were 40-22-10-2 through Sunday, have gone 7-5 in his absence....

When Hurricanes assistant captain Glen Wesley was out of the lineup with an injury recently, Carolina made 25-year-old center Jeff O'Neill an assistant captain. After two losses, in which O'Neill played poorly, coach Paul Maurice took the A from him, saying that he wasn't mature enough to handle it. In the following game O'Neill scored two goals.