Penguins winger Bryan Rust sat down yesterday for a video chat on the Penguins website and said he is staying safe and playing a lot of video games. Rust and his wife invited bachelor teammate Zach Aston-Reese and his puppy to stay with them during the pandemic in a household that also includes his brother-in-law and two other dogs. Rust said his wife actually baby-sits Aston-Reese’s dog when the team is on the road so it was a natural fit to invite the winger to stay with them. He said his wife’s cooking is good for their diets, too.
As to hockey, Rust says there will be adjustments to make if they are able to get back on the ice this year. If they play in empty rinks, for instance, he says the atmosphere will lessen the home-ice advantage between teams.
Rust says this season has been full of adversity for the Penguins, and the disruption of Covid-19 is just another hurdle to overcome.
Asked which one of his teammates is an underrated playoff performer, Rust said it’s defenseman Brian Dumoulin.
Rust was on his way to his first 30-goal season when the NHL suspended play. He says that’s just an unfortunate side effect, but he may still get a chance to score thirty if the season starts up again.
It’s not clear yet if the current NHL season will resume. Commissioner Gary Bettman tells NBC Sports he isn’t sure if resuming the season is possible. The NHL has been on pause since March 12th and players have been ordered to remain quarantined in their homes until April 15th. Bettman said the league is still evaluating every option for potentially continuing the season.
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