PITTSBURGH -- Just before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shuffled out onto the ice waving a Pittsburgh Penguins version of the Terrible Towel. I'd categorize the reception Roethlisberger received somewhere just shy of robust. Blitzburgh, I guess, is the wrong bluecollar city for a QB to feign retirement.
Or, perhaps the beer-chugging, bare-chested, catfish-loving Tennessee Titans offensive linemen have just set the bar too high for NFL Cup cameos this season.
Either way, a few minutes after Big Ben's appearance on the ice, the Penguins were awarded a 5-on-3 power play against the Nashville Predators and the smart, engaged and wild crowd inside PPG Paints Arena erupted with a roar so deafening it had me thinking blasphemous thoughts.