If you listen to SBR, you know how critical I've been of Commissioner Gary Bettman and his league over the past few years. From the decision to leave ESPN for Versus to the historically low ratings on NBC during last year's Stanley Cup Finals (1.1 rating on NBC was the worst ever prime time rating), its been a comedy of errors for a league that has lost prominence with fans in the United States.

One thing I really do have to applaud them for is the Buffalo Sabres - Pittsburgh Penguins game that is taking place today - OUTSIDE - at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. The game has drawn 70,000 fans and its being played in the snow. Looks terrific on TV in my opinion.

I'm not at all a fan of hockey on TV, but this is one game I will watch for a bit. Mainly because its being played outside and that is much more attractive to me than watching a game that is being played indoors. Plus, watching outdoor hockey in January, just feels a lot better than watching a game being played indoors in sunny Anaheim in June. Seems much more authentic.

I think the NHL should take a serious look at playing a game on New Year's Day every year - outdoors. I bet the TV ratings for today's game on NBC draw better than the 1.1 they got for the Stanley Cup. And it might even be a good idea to play a few games outdoors each year - in January and February.

As I said on SBR, the NHL gets much better attendance and TV ratings for the games played outdoors than they do for the games played indoors!

UPDATE: More people tuned in on New Year's Day to see the NHL play outdoors than any other regular-season game in more than a decade.

The Penguins-Sabres game in snowy Buffalo -- the first regular-season outdoor NHL game in the United States -- drew a 2.6 overnight rating and a 5 share on NBC. Those were the best numbers since a six-game regional telecast on Fox drew a 3.0 overnight rating and a 7 share on Feb. 3, 1996.