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PITTSBURGH -- The lessons Chuck Noll passed down to his players -- maxims that often applied as much to life as to football -- are tacked on the wall in Mike Mularkeys office. They say things like "stress is when you dont know what youre doing" and "I wasnt hired to motivate players, I was hired to coach motivated players." They ring as true now as they did when Mularkey heard them the first time playing tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame coach 25 years ago. Its why Mularkey made sure he had a chance to say goodbye, joining Steelers past and present, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and several hundred friends and family on Tuesday for a funeral mass honouring Noll, who passed away last week at age 82. "Ive gotten more from Chuck off the field as much as I got on the field about how to do things the right way," said Mularkey, now a tight ends coach with Tennessee. "Family was important. Balance in life was important." And that, as much as the record four Super Bowls Noll won while transforming the Steelers from an NFL afterthought into a dynasty during the 1970s is what will resonate for the city he championed and the team he built from scratch. The men he moulded embraced at Saint Paul Cathedral. They clutched programs featuring a picture of a vibrant Noll wearing a polo shirt, shorts and the closest he ever came to a smile while at work. Each vowed to carry on the lessons Noll imparted from his first day of coaching to his waning days. Steelers President Art Rooney II and Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene were among the pallbearers, a responsibility Greene wished he could have avoided but one he ultimately welcomed as a final gift from the coach who changed his life. "It meant Chuck was thinking of me," Greene said, "and thats special." Noll and Greene will be forever entwined in Steelers history. Noll was a rookie head coach in 1969 when he selected the massive but somewhat unknown Greene in the first round of the NFL draft. It was a pick met with skepticism but one that changed the course of the organization and Greenes life. "If he hadnt chosen me, maybe I wouldnt have been a Pittsburgh Steeler," Greene said. "Maybe I wouldnt have had the opportunity to be coached by Chuck Noll. And that probably would not have fared very well for me." Instead, Noll and Greene served as the core of a team that dominated the 1970s, winning four titles in a six-year span thanks to a seemingly never-ending stream of Hall of Famers guided by a man who made it his mission to ensure they learned more than just Xs and Os. Greene, nicknamed "Mean Joe" for his menacing demeanour on the field, remembers destroying a door one day "when things werent going my way." Rather than let Greene off the hook or rip into the cornerstone of the "Steel Curtain" defence, Noll took a different approach. "Chuck came to the room and knocked on the door and said Thatll be $500 and that was the end of the story," Greene said. Despite rising to the top of his profession, Noll preferred not to bask in the limelight. Its telling that while Hall of Famers like Greene, Blount, running back Franco Harris and wide receiver John Stallworth sat in the pews at the cathedral -- just a few miles across town from where Noll worked at bygone Three Rivers Stadium -- they were surrounded by longtime employees of the organization and friends from all walks of life. Bishop David Zubik, who performed Tuesdays ceremony, was a young priest in the late 1970s when he somehow managed to get Noll to agree to give a speech on leadership to a group of high school athletes. They set it up in the spring of 1979. The speech wasnt until January 1980. Months passed. The season came and went, ending with the Steelers beating the Los Angeles Rams at the Rose Bowl to claim the teams fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy. Two days later back in Pittsburgh, Noll drove himself to the retreat where he found a stunned Zubik waiting for him. Noll delivered as promised, giving a rousing talk to a group of young players that included future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, then a local prep star. It didnt matter that Noll might have been exhausted. It didnt matter that he had every right to cancel. That simply wasnt Nolls way. He made a promise. He had to keep it. "Thats the thing about coach Noll," Zubik said. "Everybody was important." Its a legacy that will carry on in the city Noll called home and within the walls of the franchise he defined. "Four championships, youve got to feel that," current Steelers centre Maurkice Pouncey said. "We walk by those Super Bowl trophies every day here, and it all started with Coach Noll." Lions Jerseys China . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web. 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Matt Bellerive supplied the scoring for the Blazers (11-38-5), who are on a seven-game skid. Bolton Pouliot turned away 34-of-37 shots for Kamloops. The Oil Kings went 1 for 5 on the power play, and also scored twice shorthanded, while the Blazers failed to find the back of the net on eight chances with the man advantage. --- TIGERS 3 WHEAT KINGS 2 BRANDON -- Trevor Cox scored twice, including the winner 19 seconds into the third period, as Medicine Hat slipped past the Wheat Kings. Cole Sanford had a goal and two assists for the Tigers (31-19-3) while Curtis Valk chipped in with two assists. Jayce Hawryluk and Richard Nejezchleb scored for Brandon (27-20-6). Medicine Hats Marek Langhamer made 21 saves for the win, including a Ryley Lindgren penalty shot at 17:02 of the second period. Jordan Papirny stopped 26 shots for the Wheat Kings. --- BLADES 6 HURRICANES 3 LETHBRIDGE, Alta.-- Troy Tremblay made 48 saves and Saskatoon scored four times in the third period en route to doubling up the Hurricanes. Mitch Lipon, Dylan Busenius, Ryan Graham and Brett Stovin scored in the third for the Blades (15-37-4), who halted a four-game skid, while Cory Millette and Austin Adamson had the others. Jamal Watson had a pair of goals for Lethbridge (11-39-5) and Tyler Bell scored once. Jonny Hogue turned away 32-of-37 shots for the Hurricanes. --- ROCKETS 4 REBELS 3 CRANBROOK, B.C. -- Jackson Whistle made 32 ssaves as Kelowna held off Red Deer and its attempt for a third-period comeback.dddddddddddd. Tyrell Goulbourne, Kris Schmidli, Marek Tvrdon and Austin Glover all scored in the first period for the Rockets (43-7-3) before giving up three goals in the final 20 minutes. Aspen Sterzer scored twice for the Rebels (27-23-4), who dropped their fourth game in a row, and Evan Polei had the other. Red Deers Taz Burman allowed two goals on Red Deers first three shots and was pulled at 1:34 of the opening period. Patrik Bartosak stopped 36-of-38 shots in relief. --- THUNDERBIRDS 4 CHIEFS 0 SPOKANE, Wash. -- Taran Kozun stopped 29 shots for his third shutout of the season as Seattle blanked the Chiefs. Justin Hickman scored three times for the Thunderbirds (34-16-5) and Alexander Delnov added the other. Spokanes (31-17-5) Jeremy McIntosh and Dominic Zwerger were each minus-2 while Mike Aviani failed to record a point for the eighth straight game, which is his longest scoring drought of the season. Garret Hughson turned away 29-of-33 shots for the Chiefs. --- HITMEN 7 ROYALS 6 (OT) VICTORIA -- Pavel Padakin scored twice, including the winner, and added an assist as Calgary came from behind to edge the Royals in overtime. Brady Brassart scored once and set up two more for the Hitmen (33-15-6), who trailed 6-3 early in the third period, while Adam Tambellini, Jaynen Rissling, Chase Lang and Mike Winther added the others. Ben Walker had a pair of goals for Victoria (35-16-4) and Steven Hodges, Logan Fisher, Austin Carroll and Axel Blomqvist each scored once. Calgarys Mack Shields made 34 saves for the win as Coleman Vollrath stopped 28-of-35 shots for the Royals. ' ' '