Penguins-Bruins Eastern Conference final has been long time coming
By Matt Gajtka

For two teams that have been among the top tier in the Eastern Conference for several seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins have done a good job of avoiding each other in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
While we don’t know when the East final will begin yet, we do know the Penguins and Bruins will meet in the postseason for the first time in more than two decades. Pittsburgh and Boston collided in the third round of the playoffs in 1991 and 1992, back when it was called the Wales Conference final.
The Pens won both matchups on their way to back-to-back Stanley Cups, taking four straight to close out a six-game victory in ’91 and sweeping the Bruins in ’92. Since then, the two franchises have participated in the same side of the playoff bracket 12 times without renewing acquaintances, quite improbable when considering the NHL has adhered to a conference-based format since 1994.
March 17, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Milan Lucic (17) handles the puck against pressure from Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) and left wing Matt Cooke (24) during the third period at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Pittsburgh Penguins won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
More recently, Pittsburgh and Boston have each qualified for the postseason in six straight years, with 2009 serving as the best previous opportunity for an all-black and gold best-of-seven. While the Penguins edged the Capitals in the second round that year, the Bruins dropped a Game 7 overtime decision to the Hurricanes in the other East semifinal. Pittsburgh squashed Carolina in four games and went on to top Detroit for the Cup.
The Bruins made their big breakthrough in 2011, claiming their first league championship in 40 years. Pittsburgh didn’t hold up its end of the bargain that spring, losing a seven-game battle to Tampa Bay in the first round and thus staying out of Boston’s route to a title.
And now, after each side unexpectedly lost in last year’s first round, we finally have a Penguins-Bruins series. It seems quite fitting this year, as Pittsburgh and Boston were consistently considered among the East’s best during the 48-game regular season, even though the B’s finished one point behind surprising Montreal for the Northeast Division crown.
Technicalities aside, the two teams most observers expected to face off at some point in these playoffs will battle to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final. There are no underdogs here, just two contenders giving each other their best. The storylines centered on Jarome Iginla (turned down trade to Boston) and Jaromir Jagr (another playoff series against Pittsburgh) should pale when compared to the action on the ice.
We’ll have more preview pieces coming this week on City of Champions, but just mentioning some of the names involved in this series is enough to get the adrenaline flowing. Sidney Crosby vs. Patrice Bergeron, Evgeni Malkin vs. David Krejci, James Neal vs. Tyler Seguin, Kris Letang vs. Zdeno Chara.
Having two teams worthy of such a showcase is cause for celebration. Hockey fans have waited quite some time for this matchup, so another few days won’t seem like much.