All Leafs brass will be at year-end news conference

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have all the big names in their executive branch in one room on Friday for a media grilling, a rare event in what should be a newsworthy meeting.

The fact team president Brendan Shanahan will be there with GM Brad Treliving and new Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley could be a positive sign for both of their futures.

Treliving has only been on the job a year and is not on the firing line as much as Shanahan is after his decade on the job — a stretch that has produced one playoff series win and plenty of fan outrage.

Coach Sheldon Keefe could still find himself paying the price for his five years at the helm ending in annual playoff struggles.

The management availability was originally scheduled for Thursday, leaving more space now for a possible announcement on Keefe's future and a cooling period.

Shanahan makes rare media appearances, usually just early and late in the season, his last major one almost a year ago when he fired GM Kyle Dubas with a detailed report of how their partnership ended and hired Treliving after he'd been let go by the Calgary Flames.

The St. Louis Blues removed the interim tag from Drew Bannister's title and named him their full-time coach on Tuesday.

The Blues went 30-19-5 after Bannister took over for Craig Berube and finished six points out of the final playoff spot in the NHL Western Conference.

Snoop Dogg is putting his name on the Arizona Bowl for what will be the first partnership between an alcohol brand and a college bowl game.

The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop is scheduled for Dec. 28 at Arizona Stadium and will match teams from the Mountain West Conference and Mid-american Conference.

Gin & Juice, named after Snoop's 1994 hit, is the first product from Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's new premium spirits company.