Prior to this year's trade deadline, Jarome Iginla was believed to have three options. He could either stay with the Calgary Flames, play for the Boston Bruins or join the Pittsburgh Penguins. Given the no-movement clause in his contract, the final decision would come to him.
NHL playoffs 2013: Jarome Iginla’s decision put to test in Eastern Conference Final
Jarome Iginla had the option of joining the Boston Bruins or Pittsburgh Penguins. He chose the Penguins. Now, his decision will be put to the test in the Eastern Conference Final.
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Considering he wanted to compete for the Stanley Cup, Iginla made peace with leaving the only franchise he had ever known. From there, the 35-year-old forward needed to choose between the two best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Boston coveted Iginla. General manager Peter Chiarelli wanted to upgrade the team’s forward group with a legitimate top-six player. Pittsburgh was also looking to add to their forward group and wanted to take advantage of a favorable salary-cap situation to make a run at the Stanley Cup. Given the options, Iginla ultimately chose to join the Penguins. Now, his decision will be put to the test when Boston and Pittsburgh meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night.
Iginla stated that he understood this was a potential situation he would have to face when making his choice, via the Associated Press:
“I knew Boston was a great team. It was one of those situations when I (chose Pittsburgh) that I knew there was a big possibility we’d be in this situation, and here we are. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Of course, this situation alone would have been a prominent storyline. It becomes more amplified because of the unusual context in which Iginla was acquired.
Early reports on March 28 indicated the Bruins had come to terms on an agreement with Calgary for Iginla. Scratches to the teams' lineups for their games on March 27 further substantiated this claim. Iginla had played his last game with the Flames. Matt Bartkowski, Alex Khokhlachev and a conditional 2013 first-round pick were no longer going to be the property of the Bruins.
The lines were about to be drawn in the Eastern Conference.
Calgary was playing the Colorado Avalanche that night, a game that Penguins general manager Ray Shero was watching. Shero -- like everyone else -- was under the impression that Iginla to Boston was a done deal. That is, until Feaster contacted him asking if he was still interested in negotiating a trade for the Flames captain.
The final result was the rich getting richer, and Chiarelli having to explain in a candid press conference the following day why he wasn’t introducing Iginla as a Bruin. While it remains unclear what exactly happened, many believe that either Feaster agreed to a deal without Iginla’s consent or Iginla got cold feet after agreeing to go to Boston.
According to Iginla’s account, he did not agree to a deal then change his mind. Whatever the case might be, the end result will be the primary focus of this series.
Iginla is at the point in his career where a Stanley Cup is all that matters. At least, that’s the way it appears. He seemingly has the accolades, credentials and money. Hard to imagine he isn’t a candidate for the Hall of Fame when he decides to untie his skates for the final time. The only thing missing is his name on the Cup.
The irony of the Bruins having the opportunity to keep Iginla’s name off the challis for another year is the perfect scenario from a spectator’s perspective. Not only will the series feature two talented teams, but there will also be this sub-plot, which chronicles a respected player who came to a crossroads in his career and was forced to make a choice. He could have picked Boston. He ultimately picked Pittsburgh.
Now, his decision will be put to the test.
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