Jarome Iginla decided to pack his bag for Pittsburgh before the trade deadline for one reason: to finally get his hands on the Stanley Cup.
The longtime Calgary Flame had come close before. His team had pulled off a Cinderella run to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final as a sixth seed, and had grabbed a 3-2 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Game Six was back in Calgary, as the Flames tried to finish the job. Unfortunately for Iginla, the Lightning won in double overtime, sending the series to a decisive Game Seven in Tampa. The Bolts then finished off Iginla and the Flames, winning Lord Stanley's Cup after being down to their final goal, much to the chagrin of Flames fans.
The Calgary Flames have yet to win another playoff series since that magical spring, and at some point this season, it became clear that they would not have an opportunity to do so. Being the last year of Iginla's contract, it was widely speculated that arguably the greatest Flame of all-time would be traded to a contender so that he could have a chance to capture his dream.
Iginla was able to choose where he wanted to go, and he decided to team up with Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, James Neal, Brenden Morrow, Chris Kunitz, and the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins.
So far, everything is going as planned for "Iggy". He won a playoff series for the first time since 2004 as the Pens knocked out the New York Islanders in round one. Now, they are clinging to a 2-1 series lead against the Ottawa Senators.
Iginla has definitely done his part, tallying two goals and eight assists so far in the playoffs. He has been yet another veteran presence to a team who already had a former captain on its roster in Brenden Morrow.
Iginla has seen time with Malkin, Neal and Morrow, as well as occasionally Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis on the powerplay.
The road from here does not get any easier. If the Penguins manage to fend off the Sens, they will have to face the winner of the other Eastern Conference Semifinal series between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. If they can get past one of those physical teams, they will have to meet one of the gritty and talented teams from the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
Many, many questions lie ahead. Will Iginla choose to stay in Pittsburgh for next season? Will he write another chapter to a career that has been one of the generation's most impressive? Will Jarome Iginla finally get to hoist the Stanley Cup?
Only one thing is for sure: as of now, the latter question is the only one that matters to Jarome Iginla.