The year 2012 is in the rear-view mirror and Pittsburgh’s sports teams are happy to see it fade away.

It will be remembered as the year of missed opportunity.

The Penguins, Pirates and Steelers were on the right track, but all three were suddenly derailed and left Pittsburgh stunned.

Perhaps most shocking, it all started with Tim Tebow.

The fullback disguised as a quarterback connected on less than 50 percent of his passes, but averaged over 30 yards per completion against the Steelers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs last year.

The final pass — an 80-yard bomb to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime — sent the Steelers into the offseason, while the 8-8 underdog Denver Broncos marched on.

Pittsburgh was left to wonder, “What happened?”

That turned out to be a theme.

After starting the season with a 21-17-4 mark, the Penguins rounded into shape and went 30-8-2 the rest of the way, including win streaks of eight and 11.

Evgeni Malkin torched opposing defenses on the way to his first MVP and captain Sidney Crosby returned from his concussion woes toward the end of the regular season to provide the Pens with an unmatched one-two punch.

Or so we thought.

Despite being tabbed the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup, the Penguins coughed up a 3-0 lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the rival Philadelphia Flyers and never recovered. The Pens allowed 16 goals over the next two games — both losses — and eventually succumbed in Game 6.

That series was probably the toughest for Pittsburgh fans to swallow, considering the Penguins were the city’s most legitimate threat to win a championship. The NHL lockout has put the entire 2012-13 season in doubt, making last spring’s disappointment sting even more.

The Pirates provided temporary comfort for Pittsbugh fans. The Buccos battled to a 63-47 record through Aug. 8 and seemed to have an above-.500 record in the bag for the first time in 20 years. A postseason berth even appeared to be a strong possibility.

The Pirates promptly stomped on Pittsburgh’s baseball heart, though, posting a 16-36 record down the stretch to finish 79-83.

Fans of the black and gold began to mend once the Steelers shook off some early-season struggles and reeled off four straight wins. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was on pace for a career year and had his team sitting at 6-3 in a weak AFC.

The Steelers were primed for a postseason run, but it never came to fruition.

An injury to Roethlisberger stunted the offense’s growth and he never seemed to find a rhythm upon his return. The Steelers followed the four-game win streak by dropping five of six, eliminating Pittsburgh from playoff contention.

The most maddening aspect of the Steelers’ season was five losses by less than a touchdown to non-playoff teams.

Indeed, the year of missed opportunity came full circle.

As 2013 begins, remember to embrace the good times, because last year taught us a happy ending is no guarantee.