— Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has pushed hard to land an NHL outdoor game at Carter-Finley Stadium.

And just after lunch on Tuesday, Dundon escorted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman into the home of NC State football to visualize what an outdoor game would look like in Raleigh. Orange cones were set out at midfield in the form of a 200 by 85 foot NHL rink. "I'm not here to make an announcement today," Bettman said. "But yes, we are taking it very seriously."

As for weather conditions being an issue, Bettman said they have played in all kind of conditions, including an outdoor night game in Los Angeles where the afternoon temperature was 80 degrees. The key is the condition of the ice. "Can we create conditions that are fair and safe for the players?" Bettman asked.

The Commissioner spent about 10 minutes overlooking the field and the stadium. Also in the group with Bettman and Dundon were NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, Hurricanes GM Don Waddell, Dave Olsen who oversees operations and functions at PNC arena and Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

"We have some more work to do," Bettman added. "We have a variety of arrangements to make and again, as important as anything else, if we decide we want to do it, I have to make sure it's OK with NC State."

Since moving from Hartford to Raleigh, the area has hosted a game 7 Stanley Cup clinching win and the NHL All-Star game.

Why not an outdoor hockey game?