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Winter Classic wrap up Jan. 1: Pierre McGuire and Darren Pang talk about all the action from a historic day at Wrigley Field.

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Their chances will come soon enough. Bettman was coy about where he plans to take the game next, but he won’t be hurting for invitations. There was talk this year’s classic would be the last event played in the old Yankee Stadium, but New York is hardly the only town in the mix.

“It’s something that we know can be a special part of our game if we do it right,” the commissioner said.

“I have no doubt that after today’s events the number will be increased and those that have expressed their interest will reinforce it. It won’t be perfect science,” he said of the selection process, “but hopefully when we make the decision, it will turn out like this.”

The event seemed — to borrow a term from basketball, the game that early NHL owners nurtured to fill up the empty dates in their rinks — a slam-dunk. Going back to hockey’s outdoor roots stirred more than fond memories of frozen ponds among longtime fans; it helped fire up the imagination of a few new ones.

Ryne Sandberg and Billy Williams, two former Cub greats who were on hand for the ceremonies as representatives of Wrigley’s past, came up to the press box after the opening faceoff to warm up.

“Can you believe it?” Sandberg turned to Williams. “A rink in the middle of our field.”

“When they first mentioned it to me, it sounded like something somebody thought up after too many beers. But you know what?” Williams said. “It was a damn-near perfect place to put down a hockey game.”

Amen.

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