Buffalo Sabres • NHL • Pittsburgh Penguins

They Should Play Every Hockey Game Outdoors

So it turns out America does like hockey, but only if it played outdoors in a football stadium in a snowstorm.

The Winter Classic between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres drew a 2.6 rating and 5 share on NBC on New Year’s Day, the highest TV rating for a regular season game since 1996. In the stands, more that 71,000 fans braved the sleet, snow, and cold at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo to watch the Pens best the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout.

Meanwhile, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is still drawing up expansion plans to add hockey franchises in Puerto Rico, Cancun and the Bahamas. He is also considering rule changes to get rid of that pesky ice surface so the league can stage additional outdoor hockey events during the summer months.

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