Aston-Reese designs Penguins St. Patrick's Day program cover
Forward puts graphic design degree to use and roommate Guentzel on cover
by Dan O'Leary @DanOLeary25 / NHL.com Staff Writer
Zach Aston-Reese may be sidelined with an upper body injury, but he is still finding ways to contribute to the team.
The Pittsburgh Penguins forward put his graphic design degree from Northeastern University to use designing Sunday's game program.
The St. Patrick's Day theme featured an Irish flag background and an action shot of teammate Jake Guentzel wearing the team's special green jersey to celebrate the holiday.
"I was trying to stick with some Irish themes," Aston-Reese told the Penguins website. "I was pretty happy with it. I was doing it on the road a bit, so the guys were in there with me - Willie (Garrett Wilson) and Jake - watching me make it. It was a fun experience."
Legendary announcer Doc Emrick shouted out Aston-Reese's work during the NBCSN broadcast on Sunday night.
Video: PHI@PIT: Zach Aston-Reese designs game program
Choosing the player for the photo was Aston-Reese's big decision. Prior to his injury, he was having success on the same line as Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. But instead of choosing between linemates, he decided to go with Guentzel, his roommate.
While he admitted to some rust at first, you'd never know it by the finished product.
"I haven't designed much since I've been out of school, I've kind of been on a hiatus, so it was nice to get back using Adobe and programs like that," Aston-Reese said.