DETROIT — Detroit and Pittsburgh can learn a lot from each another.

The Red Wings have been a threat to win the Stanley Cup just about every year since the mid-1990s. They have a popular owner and loyal fan base.

They are one of the nation's great sports franchises and perhaps a model for the Penguins and other teams aspiring to the Red Wings' level of consistency, success and stability.

"Detroit is the standard organization and team that everyone is matched against or compared to as they should be," Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero said.

This is the second consecutive season these teams have met in the Stanley Cup finals. Detroit has won four titles in 11 seasons, qualified for the playoffs 18 straight times and won more regular-season and playoff games than any other NHL team during the past 12-plus seasons.

And while Pittsburgh has a core of young, talent — notably Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Staal — looking to reach Red Wings-like heights, the city could serve as a model for Detroit about comebacks that having nothing to do with sports.

The Motor City, in many ways, looks a lot like the Steel City of about three decades ago. At the time, Pittsburgh's economic engine and its very identity — the steel industry — was collapsing. The result was a wave of lost jobs and an exodus of tens of thousands of people.

But Pittsburgh has risen, reinventing itself as a leader in medicine and higher education among other fields. The transformation received a big stamp of approval when President Barack Obama recommended the city as the host for a Group of 20 economic summit in September. The White House said it wanted to highlight Pittsburgh's turnaround.

"It's an area that has seen its share of economic woes in the past but because of foresight and investment is now renewed — giving birth to renewed industries that are creating the jobs of the future," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said. "And I think the president believes it would be a good place to highlight some of that."

General Motors recently filed for bankruptcy, following the path of Chrysler. The moves are the latest in a once-unthinkable series of events that have seen Detroit's influence in the global auto industry shrink almost daily. All of which has played no small role in Michigan's standing as the state with the nation's highest unemployment rate.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl suggests that perhaps Detroit should look 4½ to 5 hours to the east.

"We still do make steel here as Detroit will always produce automobiles," Ravenstahl told The Associated Press. "But what we've done is we've really reinvented ourselves and transformed our economy so we're not just steel and advanced manufacturing, but we're digital technologies, financial services, life sciences, energy solutions."

"Detroit has no choice but to reinvent itself, pick itself up and create good opportunities for the people of the Detroit area," he added. "And I think what the good news is is they can look to Pittsburgh and realize and believe that it can be done, because we did it here."

Ravenstahl — a sports junkie who changed his name to "Steelerstahl" during Pittsburgh's run to a Super Bowl title this year — would love to see the Penguins dethrone Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and company as NHL champions. That is, even if he concedes the Pens could learn a lot from their Detroit counterparts.

"It's remarkable — the stability of that franchise and what they've been able to do is certainly commendable," the mayor said. "I think (the Penguins) will have the chance to model what the Red Wings have done and perhaps cement themselves alongside the Steelers as creating those expectations every year of having the opportunity to win the championship."