Take a nationwide lockdown headed into its fourth week, the suburban house of a hockey player and his wife, add her brother, his teammate and three dogs.
“My wife has been good with it — a house full of boys,” Bryan Rust said Tuesday. “But she has been awesome.”
Rust invited fellow Pittsburgh Penguins wing Zach Aston-Reese into their home to stay during the quarantine-like conditions the nation is under during the coronavirus pandemic. NHL players and staff were told to stay in their homes once they got back to them beginning the day the league suspended its season out of health concerns related to covid-19 on March 12.
“We actually have my brother-in-law here, too, so there is a bit of a full house,” Rust said Tuesday during a video conference call with media. “But ‘Reeser,’ he’d just got a new puppy. He’s in an apartment downtown by himself. My wife was gracious and watching the puppy while we were on the road. So to make the transition smoother we offered him to stay with us.”
Aston-Reese, 25, turned pro three years ago and, when healthy, has established himself as a reliable and versatile bottom-six forward. He had just returned to practice after recovery from a lower-body injury the most recent time the team convened March 11 in Columbus.
Rust is two years older and in his fifth full season with the Penguins. He married Kelsey Burton last year.
Rust said it was a natural to invite Aston-Reese into his home. He also implied having a female’s influence would help Aston-Reese’s bachelor’s diet.
“We’re pretty close, and he gets along with my wife well,” Rust said, “and he’s a great guy, so it was a no-brainer to help and have him stay with us.
“I think it helps with his grocery shopping and choice of meals while staying with us.”
