Ben Roethlisberger stepped on the ice Monday night to lead the towel twirl for the Penguins in the Stanley Cup final, the first time he's been involved in a league championship in more than six years.
It was awesome, it was fun, he said. But it only highlights how much he and his teammates want to return to play in their own league championship. There remain a dwindling handful of Steelers who have played in a Super Bowl, never mind won it.
Where once 28 Steelers owned two Super Bowl rings, now there are two — Roethlisberger and James Harrison. Just three remain who have a Super Bowl ring at all, with William Gay joining that duo. Two others left this year — Lawrence Timmons in free agency and Greg Warren, who was released after the draft.
"It's crazy how long you play the game and you realize how rare these opportunities are," said Roethlisberger, who embarks on his 14th NFL season.
Marcus Gilbert knows. As the Steelers right tackle approaches his seventh season, he longs to play in a Super Bowl. He missed by one, drafted three months after the Steelers made their most recent Super Bowl visit, losing to Green Bay on Feb. 6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas.
Like many Steelers, Gilbert has become a Penguins fan. Is he jealous of them as they play for their second straight Stanley Cup?
"Not so much jealousy, but it gives us a little more confidence and motivation and seeing the fans behind us. It's awesome to see."
It will be eight years next week since the Steelers received their Super Bowl XLIII rings in a ceremony here. Even though there once were many of his teammates who earned them, Gilbert has never seen any, not one.
"The guys don't wear it much," Gilbert said. "They put it away. It's motivation to get another one."
There are 90 players on the Steelers offseason roster and only three have a ring. Several others came close. Antonio Brown, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey and David Johnson were on the roster for their Super Bowl XLV loss. All but Johnson start for the 2017 Steelers.
Other than those three with rings, there remain only ghosts of Super Bowls past in the Steelers locker room.
They talked about it, the older guys, and it kind of got you motivated," Gilbert said. "My thing is, I wish the older guys, enough of them, stuck around for these young guys to see and get the feel for being around greatness."
Despite all the turnover, these Steelers have a chance to create greatness of their own. They remain among the favorites to reach the next Super Bowl. Only the New England Patriots are given better odds in the AFC.
"When you talk about it now, being there and what it takes to get there, hopefully guys take the time to appreciate what it takes," Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers lead all NFL teams with six Vince Lombardi trophies. The Patriots have five, and they've already surpassed a historic Pittsburgh landmark in one way — the fifth Super Bowl won together by coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in February broke a tie with Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw.
The Patriots derailed the Steelers on their way with a 36-17 victory in the AFC championship.
It's the first conference title game in which the Steelers played in six years. Gilbert and others want to take a few more steps in 2017.
"I think I need to add one to this chapter coming up this year," Gilbert said. "All the guys are fighting for it. Our fans have been waiting for it for a long time.
"We have the players and the coaches to do it. We just have to go out there and deliver."
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