The Pittsburgh Penguins pay tribute to a local sports legend on Tuesday night ahead of their matchup with the New York Rangers. Ben Roethlisberger was in the house on Tuesday and was treated to a tremendous surprise when the set Penguins The team emerged from the locker room wearing the No. 7 jersey, with Roethlisberger’s name plastered across the back.
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋
Hi Ben 👋 pic.twitter.com/1IkXptNu08— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 29, 2022
The players took to the ice in the special warm-up jerseys as a show of respect for the recently retired Steelers quarterback, who spent nearly two decades as the face of Pittsburgh football.
It seems Roethlisberger was unaware that the whole team would be donning their jerseys during warm-ups, and the shared reaction between him and his son was truly heartwarming as the players took to the ice, all donning number 7s on their backs. .
The moment @_BigBen7 saw our warm-up sweaters 💛 pic.twitter.com/dt61H0cEez
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 29, 2022
As part of the Roethlisberger tribute, the former quarterback was tasked with dropping the game’s ceremonial opening puck.
They are the 2 greatest athletes this town has seen in the past 30 years. Legends. pic.twitter.com/GI31I1io0l
— Kevin Adams (@KevinAdams26) March 29, 2022
Witnessing Big Ben at center ice at PPG Paints Arena alongside Sidney Crosby is sure to be a must-see for any Pittsburgh sports fan.
Roethlisberger and his son are surely set for an incredible night, and hopefully the Penguins can up the score against the Rangers and put on a show for the Super Bowl-champion quarterback.
Roethlisberger announced his retirement from the NFL shortly after the Steelers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Kansas City Chiefs. He had been the team’s quarterback since 2004, when he was drafted 11th overall by the University of Miami, Ohio.