Gary Bettman: NHL 'could envision' hosting outdoor game in Nashville

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman attended the Predators' victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday as part of the ceremony to honor David Poile for his recent milestone win.

In between lavishing Poile with praise, Bettman floated the possibility of holding another marquee league event in Nashville.

"We could see an outdoor game," Bettman said. "I mean, there's scheduling issues, logistical issues. You have a college bowl game (Music City Bowl) that could interfere with a Winter Classic. We have to look at a lot of permutations, but Nashville has done an outstanding job any time we've held an event here, not the least of which was the All-Star Game.

"This has really become a destination city in a whole host of ways. I could envision us doing an outdoor game here. I can't give you a timetable and I can't exactly give you the specifics because there's a lot of things logistically we would have to work out. But it's something we have our eye on."

The Predators are among eight NHL teams without an appearance in an outdoor game, most of which reside in the Sun Belt. Carolina, Columbus, Tampa Bay, Florida, Dallas, Arizona and Vegas also haven't participated.

The Winter Classic next season will be held at the University of Notre Dame between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, who will have played in a combined seven installments of the game.

Nashville twice has hosted league events — the 2003 draft and 2016 All-Star Game. The Predators' appearance in the Stanley Cup Final last season dramatically increased the city's profile as a successful market.

More: Predators push winning streak to 10 games by beating Anaheim Ducks

"As I say about all my children and grandchildren, I love them all equally," Bettman said. "But it's great to see what this franchise means to Nashville. it is phenomenal to see. You can feel the connection between Nashville and hockey and the Predators. We're proud to be here."

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.