The Boston Bruins were told by the Calgary Flames that star winger Jarome Iginla was theirs for the taking when the two sides agreed to a trade Wednesday afternoon. However, the 35-year-old veteran will instead be heading to Pittsburgh to join the streaking Penguins.

"We were told around noon yesterday that we had the player, we won the sweepstakes so to speak," Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told ESPNBoston. "[Flames GM Jay Feaster] just had to talk to Jarome and his agent regarding the logistics of everything. So from that point on there had been some discussions regarding Jarome taking some time, not to decide, just to let things soak in. And then we had our game. Prior to that we made moves, as did they...

"Later that night, around a quarter to 12, I got a call from Jay saying it was the player's choice and he opted to go to Pittsburgh. So we were out."

Iginla instead went to the Penguins in exchange for the rights to college players Kenneth Agostino and Hanowski as well as Pittsburgh's first pick in the 2013 draft. He will join a lineup that includes NHL all-stars Sidney Crosby and Evegni Malkin and is currently riding a 13-game winning streak.

"It's really hard as a player to pass up the opportunity to play on a team with Sid and Evegni Malkin," Iginla, who also referred to the stars as the two best players in the NHL, told the Calgary Sun.