It was Game 7 of the 2016 Eastern Conference final when Bryan Rust stormed into the hockey world’s collective conscience, scoring both goals in a 2-1 Pittsburgh win to send the Penguins to the Stanley Cup final. After witnessing that performance, I had just one thought: who the hell is Bryan Rust? Literally.



Every season it feels like Pittsburgh faces injuries to key players and every season it feels like it doesn’t matter because the next man up usually becomes a decent contributor. In 2016, Rust was a 22-year-old third-rounder without a strong history. Even in the minors he wasn’t scoring so it was difficult to imagine him as an impact NHLer – most players at his level at that age don’t go far. His first season wasn’t anything to write home about, but the flashes were there and that Game 7 where he became a Pittsburgh hero was his coming out party.



Since then, Rust has worked hard to entrench himself as a very capable middle-six...