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Jarome Iginla to the Boston Bruins - for real this time

By sarahconnors
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone knows how this went last time. It's impossible to be a hockey fan and NOT know how this went last time. Jarome Iginla chooses Pittsburgh at the eleventh hour after supposedly choosing Boston. Boston gets Jaromir Jagr instead. The two teams meet in the playoffs. Boston annihilates Pittsburgh in four games. Bruins fans rejoice. Iginla goes home with his tail between his legs.

This signing is awesome redemption for Bruins fans.

From the Bruins' press release:

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today, July 5, that the club has signed forward Jarome Iginla to a one year contract through the 2013-14 season. Iginla’s base salary is worth $1,800,000 and carries incentives of $4,200,000, for an annual cap figure of $6,000,000.

Iginla entered the 2012-13 campaign having scored 30+ goals in 11 consecutive seasons and had led the Calgary Flames in scoring for the last 11 seasons, which is an NHL record for leading the same franchise in scoring, before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins via trade on March 28, 2013. He is a two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard winner (leading NHL goal scorer) and captured the Art Ross Trophy in 2001-02 (Most Valuable). He has twice scored 50 goals in a season, most recently in 2007-08 when he recorded 98 points on 50 goals and 48 assists. He has played in all 82 games during the regular season in each of the last five full NHL seasons.

The 36-year-old has played in 1,232 career games – 1,219 with Calgary and 13 with Pittsburgh – and has registered 530 goals, 576 assists (1,106 points) with 840 penalty minutes in his 16 regular seasons in the NHL. His 530 goals rank 32nd all time (third among active players) and his 1,106 points rank 57th (fifth among active players).

In the postseason, the NHL veteran has skated in 69 playoff games with 32 goals and 29 assists for 61 points. He played in 15 postseason games with the Penguins this season and tallied four goals and eight assists.

Last season, the 6’1’’, 210-pound winger had 14 goals and 19 assists in 44 games (9-13=22 totals with Calgary and 5-6=11 totals with Pittsburgh).

So will Iginla play with David Krejci and Milan Lucic? Or will he be put with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand? The Bruins now have options, and in the bulked-up Flortheast Division, that is a really, really good thing.