It’s 1979 all over again.

On Friday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins won a heart-stopping Game 7 victory over the Detroit Red Wings to earn the prestigious Stanley Cup.

The route taken by the young Pens was somewhat reminiscent of the march the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers made to a championship. Both teams suffered through disappointing regular seasons. Both had to put together spectacular late season runs to even make the playoffs (In the Pens case, they won 18 of their final 26 games). They then had to battle the best their conference had to offer to even make the finals. And in the end, they both had to survive a close hard-fought finale.

This victory isn’t only special for the Pens and their legion of fans, a certain whistle-cranking ex-yinzer down in Carolina not included. This victory also marks the first time in professional sports history that one city has won the Lombardi Trophy and Lord Stanley’s Cup in the same year. This harkens back to 1979 when Pittsburgh double dipped with the Steelers and Pirates both winning titles in their respective sports.

I was five when that happened so my memories are hazy at best. I’ve heard the stories and remember the moniker but never thought I would see a double championship by my teams again. The odds against it are just too great. Then again, I live in Pittsburgh, the greatest sports city on earth, so maybe I should’ve had faith.

In my lifetime our teams have won 6 Super Bowls, 3 Stanley Cups, 2 World Series, had a #1 ranked NCAA Basketball team, and earned 1 National College Football Championship. Think about poor pitiful cities like Cleveland, who never win anything, or Philadelphia, whose four combined teams win one title approximately every 30 years. I’m almost tempted to feel sorry for them but then I realize they chose to live in those hellholes so they get what they deserve.

And speaking of deserving, does any team deserve this title more than the Pens? For Sidney Crosby it’s a culmination of a life’s dream. For Evgeni Malkin it’s a reward for a guy who literally had to run away from home in order to play in the NHL. And it’s sweet justice for Mario Lemieux, who saved hockey in this town not once, not twice, but THREE times.  First by coming here as an 18-year-old superstar, then by buying the team when it was mired in bankruptcy, and just recently when backwater cities like Kansas City and Hamilton tried to poach our team.  A heartfelt thanks goes out to them and the rest of the team that provided such excitement in the time between glorious Steeler seasons.

Let it be said, Pittsburgh is once again the City of Champions.

Dear Bill Cowher:

Well, you went ahead and did it. I didn’t think you actually would but you did.

At last night’s Penguins-Hurricanes game, you stood there in your bright red shirt and flashed those pearly white Chiclets while proudly going about your organ grinder monkey routine. Good for you, Bill. Way to fire up that crowd of 25,000 bandwagon jumpers.

I could almost live with this bit of mutiny against the ‘Burgh. Almost.  I mean, you did bring your usual Coach Cowher Touch of losing every Championship Game at home to your new favorite team as the Pens obliterated the sadly overmatched Hurricanes to earn another trip to the Stanley Cup finals.  But when MILFtastic Chris Simpson gave you a chance to explain your actions, that was one more insult than I could bear.

So you talked to Mario Lemeiux before the game, huh? I’m sure Mario was thinking what we’ve all been thinking, “Myself and my franchise has done nothing but support this clown and his team for 15 years. And he can’t stay neutral for one playoff series?  Whatta dick.”

Newsflash, Bill:  you were born and raised in Pittsburgh.  Nobody would’ve asked you to crank their stupid little siren if it weren’t for the fact you coached in this city. How about trying to remember that on your way home to that multi-million dollar mansion in the middle of nowhere (which I guess is redundant when talking about Raleigh)?

So, you’re from North Carolina now? Really?  Perhaps you weren’t aware of this, Bill, but that sea of Black and Gold you saw whenever your Pittsburgh Steelers played on the road? They didn’t travel there, the live there. You see, Pittsburghers may leave their city but they never leave their loyalties.  That’s what separates the greatest sports city in the United States from everywhere else.  I wonder what happened to you.

The final insult was your answer to whether you’d support the Pens in the finals. “I’m an Eastern Conference guy.” Wow, could you be any more apathetic? This was your home most of your adult life and that’s all the enthusiasm you can muster for your hometown team? Next time just keep your pathetic support to yourself. We don’t need it.

In summation, Bill, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do. I don’t want to see you at the hotels, I don’t want you near my house. When you return to Crafton to see your mother, I want to know a day in advance, so I won’t be anywhere near there.  You’re dead to me.  Understand?

Signed,

Steeler Nation