LOOK: Pittsburgh Penguins put on tribute to Ben Roethlisberger following retirement
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who announced his retirement following the 2021 season, left quite a mark on the city of Pittsburgh in his 18-year NFL career — all of which was spent with the same franchise.
To pay it forward and thank Roethlisberger for his wildly successful, Hall of Fame tenure with the Steelers, the Pittsburgh Penguins paid tribute to Roethlisberger during Tuesday night’s game against the New York Rangers.
The Penguins entire team took the ice for pregame warmups wearing Penguins jerseys with the No. 7, Roethlisberger’s number, and each uniform had his name printed on the back.
The Roethlisberger-Penguins jerseys worn during warmups, according to a subsequent tweet, were later auctioned off online, with all benefits going to Light of Life, an organization with which Roethlisberger works closely.
Roethlisberger attended the Penguins game tonight with his family, sat rinkside and watched the Penguins take the ice wearing his name for warmups.
Roethlisberger announced his retirement from the NFL in a heartfelt video posted at the end of his 18th year in the pros. The video came after months of speculation that the 2021 season would in fact be his last, prompting fond farewells from Steelers fans and rivals alike in the final weeks of the season.
Roethlisberger played his full career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they used the No. 11 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft on a quarterback from Miami (Ohio). The decision quickly paid off as the franchise cornerstone made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team in 2004 after winning the MAC Most Valuable Player of the Year award in his final collegiate season.
Over the course of his career, Roethlisberger threw for 64,088 yards, 418 touchdowns and 211 interceptions. He also added 1,373 rushing yards – mostly in his younger years – and 20 more touchdowns.
Known for his tough demeanor and ability to fight off hits from the NFL’s biggest and strongest defenders, he exemplified the Pittsburgh Steelers mentality established decades before his arrival. That combination of grit and a natural gift for leadership helped guide Roethlisberger and the Steelers to two Super Bowl trophies in 2005 and 2008.
In addition, Roethlisberger became a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL passing yards leader. He holds NFL records for most career 500-yard passing games with four and most completions in a regular or postseason game with 47.
He ranks No. 7 all-time in career passing yards, 12th all-time in passer rating (94.3), tied for No. 9 in yards per attempt (7.8 yards), and tied for 12th in completion percentage (64.4%). In his final NFL game, which came in the wild card round of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger moved to No. 3 all-time in playoff passing yards and surpassed Brett Favre.