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PITTSBURGH -- Faced with the choice of his hockey life, Jarome Iginla figured he couldnt go wrong. As the hours before the March 28 trade deadline ticked away and the suitors for the Calgary Flames longtime captain dwindled down to Boston and Pittsburgh, the six-time All-Star understood both franchises provided him the chance to win his first Stanley Cup. Only one, however, included the added bonus of playing with good friend Sidney Crosby. And when the Penguins quite literally lured Iginla east in the middle of the night, the ripple effect forced the Bruins to a backup plan that turned out better than they imagined. Spurned by Iginla, the Bruins acquired Jaromir Jagr from Dallas hours later. Now the two clubs -- and their two high-profile late additions -- find themselves in each others way as the Eastern Conference finals get set to begin Saturday. "I knew that there was a possibility this would be the case," Iginla said. One that just as easily could have arisen if Iginla opted for Boston instead. While it appeared for a few hours the Bruins had the inside track, the Olympic gold medal winner insists he didnt back out of a deal with Boston when the Penguins swooped in at the last minute. "I never said yes and then no," Iginla said. Though the Bruins initially disagreed -- claiming an agreement was in place -- they have since moved on, adding a necessary part in Jagr to lead to a showdown that has felt inevitable for the last three months. "I always thought you had to go through them to get to where we want to go at some point," Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "Its been well chronicled, the Iginla stuff and the Jagr stuff, so were happy with who we got." So are the Penguins. The 35-year-old Iginla has fit in almost seamlessly in Pittsburgh, picking up 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 regular-season games despite being shuttled between the first and second lines while occasionally being moved away from his natural position at right wing. Things have been more settled in the post-season. Coach Dan Bylsma placed Iginla on the second line with reigning NHL MVP Evgeni Malkin and All-Star forward James Neal. The results have been sublime. Iginla quietly rolled up four goals and eight assists in the opening two rounds of the playoffs, his powerful shot and ability to create a little havoc in front of the opposing goaltender perfectly complimenting Malkins deft passing and Neals sniper-like instincts. "You want to play together and play hard and not disrupt (their chemistry)," Iginla said. "So you find different places to go and contribute. Is that going to the net? Getting out of the way in certain positions? Knowing where we all like pucks? I think its just kind of tying everything together and Ive been enjoying it and I think its been getting better and better." The result is just the second trip to hockeys final four in Iginlas 16-year career. He led the Flames to the Cup finals in 2004 only to fall to Tampa Bay in seven games. Four straight first-round exits followed before the bottom fell out. Calgary was heading to its fifth straight season on the outside of the playoffs looking in when general manager Jay Feaster approached Iginla and asked him if he would consider waiving his no-trade clause. Iginla wanted to help the Flames rebuild almost as badly as he wanted a shot at the Cup. A brief conversation with Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero convinced him the best chance to do both sat with the Penguins. Pittsburgh sent the Flames college prospects Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski and a first-round pick in the 2013 draft for one of the best players of his generation, one still trying to get his hands on his sports most coveted chalice. The move proved refreshing in more ways than one. Iginla and fellow newcomers Jussi Jokinen, Doug Murray and Brenden Morrow, became de facto roommates at a downtown Pittsburgh hotel. Iginla found wearing a jersey without a "C" on it liberating. He has kept a decidedly low profile since his arrival, speaking to the media only occasionally while letting Crosby handle the duties that come with being the voice of the franchise. Dont misunderstand. Iginla isnt hiding but simply enjoying a rare taste of relative anonymity. "Its been a nice change," Iginla said. One that will likely come to an end if the Penguins make it to the next round. Iginla is the latest in a long line of veterans who have uprooted their lives -- think Ray Bourque going from Boston to Colorado -- in pursuit of glory. He will become one of the faces of the finals if the Penguins advance. Iginla is more than ready to handle it. If anything, hes proven hes adaptable. Iginla played at least 19 minutes 17 times with Calgary this season, a number hes topped just three times in 24 games with the Penguins. Yet Bylsma has yet to hear Iginla mention it, and he doesnt expect to. Neither do his teammates. "I think youll have a hard time finding somebody in this world to fit in better anywhere," Murray said. "Hes a great guy and hes obviously a good player. He demands respect right away." Even if respect from the Bruins will come in the form of bodies being thrown into Iginlas path at every turn. He welcomes the challenge, even if the guys slamming him are the ones that could have been his teammates. All thats over now. Any leftover hard feelings with the Bruins is just so much collateral damage. "I knew Boston was a great team," Iginla said. "It was one of those situations when I (chose Pittsburgh) that I knew there was a big possibility wed be in this situation, and here we are. Im looking forward to the challenge." New York Jets Throwback Jersey . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Jamal Adams White Jets Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. http://www.jetsofficialsshop.com/ . 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"No decision has been finalized yet," replied a Canucks spokesperson when contacted by TSN. Canucks general manager Mike Gillis was on Team 1040 Radio in Vancouver on Friday and wouldnt confirm that Tortorella was the teams new coach but indicated he was a strong candidate. He also told hosts Barry MacDonald and Don Taylor that the organization was hoping to finish off the process shortly. "Johns certainly in the mix and very strong, so were going to finish off the process the way we designed it initially and that shouldnt take us much longer," said Gillis. If hired, it would be a trade of sorts as former Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault was introduced on Friday as tthe new head man in New York.dddddddddddd. Tortorella was dismissed from the Rangers on last month following New Yorks second-round loss to the Boston Bruins. In 319 regular-season games with New York, Tortorella went 171-118-1-29. He was 19-25 in the post-season and reached the playoffs in four of five seasons after taking over as coach in February 2009. If hired, Tortorella - who turns 55 on Monday - would be taking his third posting as an NHL head coach. He was behind the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2001-08 before taking the same role with the Rangers. He won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2004 when he led the Lightning to their first-ever Stanley Cup. Other candidates for the coaching position include Los Angeles Kings assistant John Stevens and former Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Scott Arniel, who coached the Canucks AHL affiliate in Chicago. ' ' '