The photo from the hospital room showed a bloated, unrecognizable face after hours of surgery. It made you wince and wonder about the extent of the injuries and the future of the playing career.

It wasn't Ben Roethlisberger from the past couple of weeks.

It was Kevin Stevens 13 years ago.

Although the circumstances and specific injuries are different, Stevens feels like he had an experience similar to the one Roethlisberger is having now.

While initial reports point to Roethlisberger recovering sufficiently from his motorcycle accident to resume his role as Steelers quarterback, there is certain to be a lingering question about the mental fallout.

Stevens, who cracked part of his face in a Penguins playoff game, said Steelers fans who are anxious about the 2006 season can relax.

"My own personal opinion is that he'll be as tough as he ever was," Stevens, now a pro and college scout for the Penguins, said this week.

"That's the nature of the beast. It's something in life. He learned from it. But playing tough is the only way he knows how to play. He's a different breed of human. He's a motivated guy."

Stevens, a powerful, net-crashing winger, played tough, too.

In a season-ending loss to the New York Islanders -- can you say David Volek? -- in Game 7 of the 1993 Patrick Division final, Stevens had a mighty collision with New York's Richard Pilon in the first period and, knocked woozy, landed face-first on the ice.

He had a concussion and cut over his right eye and needed nearly five hours of surgery to repair a fractured sinus bone and broken nose.

Because Stevens' injury happened in a game, we were able to watch it over and over in slow motion, and there was no secrecy about his subsequent care and recovery.

In fact, we almost got information overload with the description of his surgery, when doctors cut him ear to ear along the hairline, pulled back the skin, repaired the damage, then sewed his face back together.

Details about Roethlisberger since his June 12 crash have come in much smaller doses despite an unsatiable quest for information. We know he had facial, head and dental injuries and underwent several hours of surgery.

Now that we believe he's going to recover, we're wondering what he's going through.

Perhaps Stevens can help.

"The swelling was my biggest problem," he said. "People walked into my room and didn't know it was me. After the swelling, the short-term memory was the biggest thing. I kept repeating myself. But that didn't last long.

"It was slow [recovering], and, obviously, I didn't feel well, but I had all summer. Once I was able to come out of the hospital and do a little walking around and the face was kind of coming back to normal, that's when you feel like you're going to be OK."

Stevens' face healed completely.

"I don't know if that's good or bad," he said, roaring with laughter, "but I looked the same."

Stevens was 28 and had helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup the previous two seasons. Roethlisberger is 24 and is coming off of a Super Bowl win. He also has the summer to recuperate.

Stevens hasn't met Roethlisberger, but, with loyalties divided between the Steelers and his hometown New England Patriots, he has followed the young quarterback.

He would offer this advice:

"The biggest thing as an athlete is we want to rush back and get out there and do your thing. I would just tell him to take it slow. He's going to be the quarterback. Nothing's going to happen.

"I wanted to get out there and do the job and prove I could still do it. I never really thought about [the injury]. I just went out and played. It's all about getting back with your teammates, enjoying yourself by playing again."

Longer term, there might be slightly more reason for concern.

Stevens hit triple digits in points in back-to-back seasons leading up to the injury. He scored 41 goals in 1993-94, the season after the surgery, but never topped 25 goals or 50 points again.

He eventually bounced around to four other teams before retiring as a Penguin. He hit a low in 2001 when he was arrested on crack cocaine-related charges. He underwent counseling for alcohol problems and says things have been good since.

"People say it was my injury, but I don't think it was," Stevens said. "At times, you sit here and say it was or it wasn't, but I don't think it was."

He's pulling for Roethlisberger.

"As long as his body comes back from the trauma, he'll be OK," Stevens said. "He's more mentally strong than most human beings. For anybody to get to the top where he's at, at his age, that's going to help him in life."