Along the way, Rust became a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with Pittsburgh, a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has been a mainstay on a line with Sidney Crosby, and a key member of the core leadership group – wearing an ‘A’ on his jersey whenever one of the Big Three misses a game.
“He’s the type of guy that you need every single night, whether it’s power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5, 6-on-5, he does it all,” Letang said. “He’ll do every little thing to make his team win, and he’s going to try to fill every role possible that he can do. It’s fun to watch him grow as a player.
“When you come into this league, you might not get the points that he’s getting right now, but he worked himself higher into the lineup, and now he plays with the best center in the world. It’s pretty cool to see what he’s accomplished.”
He is an incredible example, because Rust didn’t come in with a pedigree like Crosby or Malkin or Lemieux. He wasn’t a top draft pick. The organization viewed Rust, drafted in the third round back in 2010, as a marathon prospect. He had a lot of work to do coming out of a college career at Notre Dame that had some low points. Now, the Penguins use Rust as a model for their draft picks, prospects and younger players.
“He's not a guy that was drafted and went straight to the NHL,” said Penguins Director of Player Development Tom Kostopoulos, who was the captain of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when Rust turned professional. “Put in his time in the minors, he worked on his game, and he's developed and developed. He's adapted and grown his hockey sense without ever losing that foundation work ethic and penalty killing and being hard on pucks.
“Even after he was having success in the NHL, he kept developing his game. He’s still out there on the ice before practice, after practice, working on things. So, it's such a great example for the young guys. He’s so good with them. When he talks with them, he shows them things. So, it's easy to send them to talk to him.”
Rookie forward Avery Hayes has had some good conversations with the veteran forward, who is a fellow Michigan native.
“I feel like he’s just more relatable for us,” Hayes said. “We all have similar paths to him coming up from Wilkes. His picture is up there. So, it’s cool to see. He lived there for a bit, so we talked about that. He also grew up near me back home (in Michigan). We talked about what minor hockey teams he played for, which is funny, because I know all of them. We both played for Honeybaked. So, it’s was cool. It’s good to talk to him.”
There have been times this season when Rust has stayed on the ice well after most of his teammates have gotten off, then comes into the locker room going a million miles an hour, as per usual. Though Rust does need a little more caffeine these days to be going like that, as he is now the proud father of three children.
“He just brings a lot of energy on a daily basis,” Crosby said with a grin. “He's got a passion for the game, but I think just that enthusiasm is big. In a long season, and with his work ethic, he sets the tone every day.”
That’s how Rust leads on the ice, and off the ice, he leads with his bold personality. Rust has a great sense of humor, and isn’t afraid to chirp anyone.
“I think from the moment I got in the locker room, I think you saw older guys – not just Sid, G and Tanger, even though they were definitely part of that – but also guys like Chris Kunitz and Matt Cullen who treated you the same,” Rust said.
“Didn't matter who you were, whether you were top of the lineup, bottom of the lineup, played four games or 4,000 games. Just to see how they kind of handled themselves and treated people and handled the ups and downs of the season, I think I was able to learn a lot just kind of from watching them.”
And despite dealing with a speech impediment all his life, Rust has become a go-to interview for the media. He's always ready with lines that are honest, insightful, smart, funny, or all of the above – win or lose. Because of that, the media voted Rust the winner of the Baz Bastien Memorial (Media Good Guy) Trophy.
Ultimately, Rust has a great heart, and is humble and approachable. He understands his place with this franchise, and the part he can play in helping the Penguins have success in every facet.
“He's just such a professional,” Kostopoulos said. “I think he does things right, he takes care of his body, he works hard, he does all the recovery stuff. He's a really good role model.”
“He's obviously a guy who's kind of been through it all in his career, never really handed anything,” locker stallmate Justin Brazeau said. “I think anytime somebody does that, anytime he speaks, it's pretty well-respected and listened to in the room.”
