Penguins’ Bryan Rust to have hearing for head contact on Canucks’ Brock Boeser
The NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Monday afternoon that winger Bryan Rust of the Pittsburgh Penguins will have a hearing for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver Canucks winger Brock Boeser.
The hearing is set to take place on Tuesday morning.
Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust will have a hearing tomorrow morning for an illegal check to the head against Vancouver’s Brock Boeser. https://t.co/K8cMz139Hz
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 26, 2026As time expired in Sunday’s game between the two clubs, a 3-2 win for the Penguins, Rust was assessed a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head on Boeser.
The play occurred as the Canucks were attempting to come up with a game-tying goal. Boeser appeared to corral the puck with about three seconds left with Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner down and a struggle going on in the crease, but Rust’s high hit broke up any chance Boeser had at scoring the goal.
Bryan Rust get the elbow up on Brock Boeser late in the third.
🎥: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/ykovrXFuTp
The Canucks took exception to the play in their postgame comments, with winger Jake DeBrusk telling Canucks’ radio play-by-play voice Brendan Batchelor that he considered it a “dirty play.”
Teddy Blueger agreed with that assessment, but according to Batchelor, he clarified that he did not consider his former Pittsburgh teammate to be a dirty player. Rust does not have any history of supplemental discipline from the Department of Player Safety.
Teddy Blueger also said he thought it was a dirty hit, though he doesn’t believe Rust is a dirty player. #Canucks @Sportsnet650 https://t.co/fO8IDpEj8A
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) January 26, 2026Head coach Adam Foote did not have an update on Boeser’s status after the game. Boeser, who signed a lucrative long-term contract to remain with the Canucks rather than test the open market as an unrestricted free agent last summer, has 12 goals and 13 assists this season for 25 points in 50 games.
The 28-year-old has seen his production decline as the Canucks have struggled more at the team level this season. With a 17-30-5 record, Vancouver is far and away the last-place team in the NHL this season, with eight points separating them from Winnipeg in 31st.
If Rust faces a suspension as a result of the hit, Pittsburgh will be without a key top-six forward as they continue to push for a surprise playoff berth. The Penguins, at 26-14-11, are six points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first in the Metropolitan Division.