Penguins backed by Pirates before Game 5 of Cup Final

The Pittsburgh Pirates are getting behind their neighbors, the Pittsburgh Penguins, for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the San Jose Sharks at Consol Energy Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, TVA Sports). The Penguins lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 and can win the Stanley Cup with a victory.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates showed their support with the dress code for their trip to Denver for a makeup game Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.

The dress code was set by Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who told the newspaper he would be wearing a Mario Lemieux jersey. Pirates players wore Penguins jerseys for their flight to Denver, which departed after their game in Pittsburgh against the New York Mets on Wednesday, and will wear them on the return flight, when they'll be watching Game 5.
Not all Pirates players were ready to jump on the Penguins bandwagon. St. Louis native and former St. Louis Cardinals player David Freese wanted to wear a St. Louis Blues jersey but was told that wasn't happening. Instead, Freese reached a compromise: Pirates teammate Gerrit Cole gave Freese his Ian Cole Penguins jersey. Ian Cole began his NHL career with the Blues and was traded to the Penguins in 2015.

Pirates infielder Cole Figueroa, a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, said he remains bitter about the Penguins eliminating the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final. But in the name of teamwork and unity, he bought a Penguins jersey with no name on the back.
"I'd much rather wear a jersey than a suit," he said. "But it depends which jersey."
The Penguins are hoping to become the first Pittsburgh team to clinch a championship in the city since the Pirates defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series at Forbes Field, on a ninth-inning home run by Bill Mazeroski. The Penguins' previous three Cup-clinching victories were on the road.