A look back at the top sports stories from 2015:

PENGUINS PUT ON THE MARKET

No “For Sale” signs sit at the entrance of the Penguins offices, but the organization, or at least a large stake in it, remains available for purchase.

Co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle in June announced they hired financial firm Morgan Stanley to explore a possible sale of the team. They reportedly were asking for $750 million. The cost, if agreed upon with a buyer, would set a record for a U.S.-based NHL team.

As the seasons changed, progress came slowly and quietly. The Tribune-Review reported the Penguins met with prospective ownership groups in August.

How much Lemieux and Burke stand to gain from a sale of the organization they bought for $107 million in 1999 and where they should set the asking price became cloudier when Forbes released its annual valuations of NHL teams in late November. The Penguins' value fell from $565 million in 2014 to $560 million this year, according to Forbes.

Penguins owners have stayed hush on a possible sale.

AMID SUCCESS, PIRATES SUFFER NOTED LOSSES

So many things went right for the Pirates in 2015, but the year will be remembered for the departures of Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez.

The Pirates traded Walker, a Pine-Richland graduate, to the New York Mets on Dec. 9. The team non-tendered Alvarez, a former No. 1 draft pick and franchise cornerstone, a week earlier.

However, the Pirates experienced plenty of good, too.

They again found value in free agency in signing pitchers Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett to contracts that both outperformed.

Jung Ho Kang became the first Korea Baseball Organization position player to jump directly to Major League Baseball, and he performed like a star until a season-ending injury in September.

Pitcher Gerrit Cole developed into an ace. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen overcame a slow start to again perform like an MVP. And Starling Marte won a Gold Glove for his work patrolling left field.

The team won 98 regular-season games — its most since 1991 — and advanced to the postseason for a third consecutive season, where it lost in the NL wild-card game.

The capper: Baseball America named the Pirates its Organization of the Year.

STEELERS SIGN ROETHLISBERGER, FALL IN POSTSEASON

It was a whirlwind 2015 for the Steelers, starting with a home playoff loss to the Ravens in January and ending with an eye on returning to the playoffs.

In between, the journey included saying goodbye to familiar faces, handing out a record contract, applying to host a Super Bowl, the suspension of star players, signing a convicted felon and dealing with a parade of injuries.

It started early when defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said goodbye in January, followed by veterans Brett Keisel, Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor in a big youth movement. Months later, Ben Roethlisberger signed a $100 million contract, ensuring he will be around into his 30s.

Off the field, team president Art Rooney II submitted a bid to become just the second northern city with an open-air stadium to host a Super Bowl; Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant were suspended for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, and the team signed controversial quarterback Mike Vick, prompting protests. On the field, injuries piled up, taking out two kickers, All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, Kelvin Beachum and Bell for the season. Roethlisberger also missed time with leg injuries, as well as a concussion.

But the Steelers managed to stay in the hunt, putting up big offensive numbers, including an NFL record of four straight games with 450 yards of offense. They begin 2016 with their final regular-season game against the Browns.

PITT'S CONNER FIGHTS CANCER

Pitt running back James Conner started his fight against Hodgkin lymphoma Dec. 8 with the first of a series of chemotherapy treatments, but his doctor was optimistic Conner could play football in 2016.

“The cure rate is somewhere between 85 and 95 percent,” said Dr. Stanley M. Marks, deputy director of clinical services for UPMC CancerCenter/University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. “Hopefully, by next season, he will be able to get on the field.”

Conner, 20, who had been rehabilitating a knee injury that ended his season, received the diagnosis Thanksgiving Day.

“I was a little scared,” he said. “I choose not to fear cancer.”

Conner's announcement ended months of speculation on whether he will return to Pitt or go pro. He will be back but with a different mission.

“I know God will never bring me to something that he can't bring me through,” Conner said.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said Conner hasn't entered the fight alone.

“Cancer started the fight,” he said, “and James is going to finish it.”

PINE-RICHLAND STAR WINS WORLD CUP

Meghan Klingenberg's dream took root at age 10 when she delayed leaving her Richland home for an 'NSync concert because it was more important to watch the U.S. Women's National Team win the World Cup. That would be her one day, she decided then, in 1999.

The dream turned into reality this summer when the Pine-Richland graduate helped bring home the Cup.

“I'm overwhelmed by it,” she said afterward. “Actually, I'm completely overwhelmed by it.”

The U.S. won six and tied one, allowing one goal before defeating Japan in the final.

An aggressive defender, “Kling,” as she's known, played every minute of the event.

The nation squeezed Klingenberg and her teammates in a collective hug during the event and the subsequent lovefest of celebrations, parades and a victory tour that stopped at Heinz Field.

“People are saying how much they appreciate what we've done for the country,” she said. “All I did was set out to win.”

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