Dentist dad gives Cole good support

NEW YORK — Throughout his son’s hockey-playing career, Doug Cole, a dentist, always reminded Ian to keep his mouthguard in, lest he catch a stray puck in the face and ruin his smile.

So now that Cole is down three teeth as a result of Roman Josi’s slap shot to the face Oct. 7, how has his dad reacted?

“He's handled it pretty well, actually,” Ian Cole said Tuesday. “The one thing he always told me was to make sure I wear my mouthguard because I have really nice teeth, not to get them knocked out. Then I go get them knocked out and his reaction was, ‘Oh, it’s OK we can fix them.’ He’s been pretty good about it.”

Cole returned to the Penguins’ lineup Tuesday night after missing three games following the incident. He spoke Tuesday after the team’s morning skate with a noticeable gap in his smile and a slight lisp as he adjusts to his new dental set-up.

There are, of course, some positives to having a dentist for a dad in this situation.

“He’s been great about it,” Cole said. “He's asking a lot of questions and asking me to ask questions for him. Our doctors here have had great answers, so it’s been great.”

Cole’s wife, Jordan, has been perhaps less constructive in her reaction, but Cole understands.

“She just laughs at me a lot,” he said. “Every time I laugh, she just laughs at me and not with me.”

The defenseman’s diet has changed a bit, as well.

“I’ve always liked soup, but I have a newfound appreciation for the work that goes into making the soup,” Cole joked.

Cole said he finally returned to solid foods a few days ago, trying to put back some of the weight he lost immediately following the incident. The timing was good, too, with the Penguins’ first trip to New York on the horizon.

“I kept it to sushi,” Cole said. “I didn't want to test it out too much with a steak or anything.”

While he might be easing back on the restrictions off the ice, he’ll have to play with a full face shield for at least his first few games back.

Given the recent emphasis on reducing head trauma across all sports, it’s a natural to question whether the NHL would ever make fullface shields mandatory, the way they are in college hockey. Cole said it’s a “tough question.”

“They mandated the visors, which obviously faced some blowback. … Guys adapt well, and they’ll be fine. That decision’s way above my pay grade, but guys can adapt to whatever.”

Rust for (Art) Ross?

With eight points already this season entering Tuesday, winger Bryan Rust was tied for the Penguins team lead and just three off the top spot in the NHL. Is he making a push for the Art Ross Trophy this season?

“I would not go that far,” Rust said Tuesday, smiling.

What’s perhaps most remarkable about Rust’s success is how versatile his offensive game has been, as he moves up and down the Penguins’ lineup more frequently than just about any other forward. His seven assists entering Tuesday have come on goals by five different players.

“He challenges our opponents with outside speed, with puck pursuit,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Through his speed, he creates a lot of opportunities, not just for himself but for his linemates. One of the things we love about Rusty is that regardless of who we put him with, his game is the same.”

Room to improve

Sullivan was somewhat critical of the Penguins after their 4-3 win against Florida Saturday, noting they still need to be a bit more defensive-minded and, as he is fond of saying, “harder to play against.”

But while Sullivan has higher expectations of the Penguins’ all-around game, there have been flashes he has liked.

“I thought the Nashville game, we liked our game a lot,” Sullivan said. “I thought the Washington game, we liked our game a lot. Those are probably the two games that are closest to the type of game that we’re trying to play consistently. But we have to bring it every night, you can't just bring it once in a while.”

Hunwick on IR

The Penguins have placed defenseman Matt Hunwick on injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday. Hunwick has played in all six games this season, with one goal. He played 19:26 in the Penguins' 4-3 win against Florida Saturday.