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Iginla optimistic he’ll finally win Cup with Avalanche

JaromeIginla

Jarome Iginla knows he’s running out of time to win the Stanley Cup. It was what motivated Iginla to push the Calgary Flames to trade him to Pittsburgh and when that didn’t work out, it led to him signing a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins for the 2013-14 campaign.

So while the fact that the Colorado Avalanche were offering the 37-year-old forward a three-year deal was obviously a factor, Iginla also chose them because he feels he can finally fulfill his desire to lift the Cup with his new teammates.

The Avalanche might seem like a stretch to compete for a championship next season, but as Iginla noted, it’s a young man’s game.

“With this group, I think the sky is the limit,” Iginla said, per the Denver Post. “When I think of some of the teams that have had success in the NHL in the last five or six years, I think of Chicago; they were a very young, very talented team that moved up very quickly, that had a very talented young core when they won.

“Pittsburgh was pretty young when they won. Boston had a pretty young core when they won, too. I think Colorado has a lot of young guys, whether in their first year or third or fourth year or whatever, they’ve been confident and been able to play their way and just keep getting better. I’m excited to be able to come for three years and be part of that, and grow with the guys.”

The Avalanche certainly have a lot of young talent, but they’ve also added some veteran leadership over the summer in Iginla and Daniel Briere. The duo has a combined 205 playoff games under their belts and both of them have been to the Stanley Cup Final. Like Iginla though, Briere is joining the Avalanche in the hope that this young team will be the one that helps him win it all.

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