2016 Championship Reunion: Conference Final Lookback | Pittsburgh Penguins

Ahead of the 2016 Championship Reunion on Jan. 31, we are taking a look back at each playoff round with a player who had a big impact on the series. Today, Bryan Rust talks the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay. To join us for the reunion, click here.

“You’re now a Pittsburgh legend.”

That’s what Nick Bonino said to Bryan Rust on the bench after the Penguins defeated the Lightning in Game 7 of their 2016 Eastern Conference Final matchup.

“And I was like, what are you talking about?” Rust said with a laugh. “But over the years, it’s like, okay – the more and more you think about it, it’s like, wow, that’s something that’s cool.”

Then 24 years old, Rust put together a performance for the ages.

Game 1 turned out to be Andrei Vasilevskiy’s introduction to the league. Then 21 years old, the 2012 first-round pick – drafted by Tampa at PPG Paints Arena – took over between the pipes after Ben Bishop was carted off the ice and sidelined for the rest of the series. Vasilevskiy helped the Lightning earn a 3-1 victory in Game 1 before the teams went to overtime in Game 2.

And in the first minute, Rust helped the Penguins earn a 3-2 victory after setting up Sidney Crosby for the winner.

“I got off the bench, and what I would guess I was thinking was I was gonna drive the net, and then kind of saw him kind of out of the corner of my eye,” Rust recalled with a laugh. “So, I just pulled up, kind of laid it to him, and he did the rest.”