PPG Paints Arena is not the venue where Ben Roethlisberger did his best work.
No surprise there, since hockey was not his sport.
Nonetheless, when he turned up there Tuesday evening to conduct a ceremonial faceoff before the Penguins faced the Rangers, Roethlisberger looked very much at home.
Perhaps because the reception he got from the crowd was as warm as any he ever received at Heinz Field.
Roethlisberger, wearing jeans and a Penguins sweater emblazoned with No. 7, got a standing ovation as he walked to center ice from the runway that leads to the Penguins' locker room.
Thank you, Ben!🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/pHzFKIjNW0
— Celina Pompeani Mathison (@CelinaPompeani) March 29, 2022
ICYMI: Dan Potash goes 1-on-1 with Ben Roethlisberger during tonight's 1st Intermission.
— AT&T SportsNet™ PIT (@ATTSportsNetPIT) March 30, 2022
CC: @Steelers @penguins pic.twitter.com/XJGhESOGvy
With his family looking on from the Zamboni entrance, Roethlisberger dropped a puck between Sidney Crosby and Rangers forward Barclay Goodrow.
Crosby collected the puck and handed it to Roethlisberger, who headed back toward the locker-room runway, fist-bumping Penguins players as he walked in front of their bench.
Roethlisberger then adjourned to a suite to watch the game.
During warmups, all of those players had worn "Roethlisberger 7," which subsequently were auctioned off to benefit Light of Life Rescue Mission.
