Around the same time Penguins’ General Manager Ray Shero saw his best player suffer a concussion, he also saw his own son suffer one as well.

“Jan. 15, 2011,” Chris Shero recalls. “We were playing out in L.A. and I got hit.”

Shero, 16, didn’t know it at the time, but he had suffered a concussion that would keep him out for the next five months.

“I wasn’t there,” the Penguins’ general manager said. “My wife was there, and it’s one of those things, they get hit. It wasn’t that hard of a hit, and he played a few more games and got hit again.”

Sound familiar?

The plights of Chris Shero and Sidney Crosby have paralleled at times over the last year, and even brought the two together, in an unfortunate concussion connection, to compare notes.

“We talked back and forth on how everything was when I had my concussion and when he had his,” Chris said. “We talked about how things were. We were able to relate to each other so much easier with that. He helped me and maybe I helped him a little bit.”

He did.

“It’s nice when someone can relate no matter what age,” Crosby said. “Even for him to hear what I was going through was good for him. To see someone who can’t go to school and can’t be with his friends, I think it was good for me to get a different viewpoint on it.”

“And that’s what happens,” Ray Shero told KDKA-TV. “You compare, whether it’s teammate to teammate, or in Chris’ case, being around those guys. Sid was really helpful for Chris, too.”

Now, the elder Shero is looking to USA Hockey, youth hockey’s governing body, to try and stem the tide of concussions in the younger ranks, so incidents like Chris’ can be avoided.

“At the end of the game sometimes… it’s not even if your kid won or lost or if they scored a goal,” said Shero. “It’s: ‘Are you ok.’

“I sent something to USA Hockey where I really believe rules for majors for elbowing and hits from behind have to be dealt with more severely in terms of supplemental discipline as we have in our league, where a kid is going miss more than one game, maybe two or three games, before he’s allowed back to play,” he added.

Shero was also instrumental in getting a baseline test for local high school hockey players so future concussions can be more easily diagnosed. But the problem Chris went through is not an isolated case, and prevention can only go so far.

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They discussed how certain breeds of dogs due to statistics of dog bite cases can cause some homeowners insurance to go up.

You can listen to the whole interview here and see if your breed made the list. You can also listen to Mike Pintek weekday Noon to 3pm.

Talking about the amount of money that the Steelers are over the salary cap, Kirwan said that the Steelers “have got a long way to go to get to zero.” Names of players he thinks the Steelers should cut were: Hines Ward, James Farrior, and Casey Hampton.

The limited cap space causes a lot of concern over wide receiver, Mike Wallace. Kirwan tells the Fan Morning Show that he has great respect for Steelers’ General Manager, Kevin Colbert, but other teams (even within the AFC North) will be trying to bring in the Pro Bowl receiver for more money on an offer sheet than the Steelers will be able to match.

We also get his thoughts on how Antonio Brown has developed, and how the relationship between the established offensive players, and new Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley, will work.

For the entire interview, click below:

Chicken Empanada with Chorizo, Raisins, and Olives

• 3 whole chicken legs including thighs (2 to 2 1/4 lb total)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions, halved lengthwse, then cut lengthwise into 1/4″ strips
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
• 1/3 cup finely diced spanish chorizo
• 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika (not hot)
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted green olives
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1//2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough – thawed
• 1 egg beaten with 1tablespoon water for egg wash

Directions

Make filling: Pat chicken dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning over once, about 6 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Sauté onions, garlic and bay leaves in fat remaining in skillet, stirring frequently until onions are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chorizo and paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add olives, raisins, wine, and broth and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Return chicken to skillet along with any juices accumulated on plate, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer chicken, covered, turning over once, until tender, 25 to 30 minutes total.

Transfer chicken to a clean plate. (sauce in skillet should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it’s not briskly simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes) when chicken is cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and coarsely chop meat. Stir chicken into sauce and discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cool filling, uncovered, about 30 minutes.

To form and bake empanada:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a half sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Cut the dough in half, then roll out 1 half (keep remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14- by 12- inch rectangle and transfer to baking pan. Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1-inch border, and moisten border with egg wash. Roll out remaining dough in same manner, then arrange over filling and press edges together to seal. Roll edges in and press to form a decorative rim. Cut steam vents in center of empanada. Brush top with egg wash.

Bake empanada until crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes in pan on a rack, then slide empanada onto rack using a wide metal spatula and cool to warm.

Cut empanada into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.

Red Wine Sangria

• 2 bottles red Spanish table wine
• 1-cup brandy
• 1/2-cup triple sec
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1-cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2-cup simple syrup, or more to taste (equal parts sugar and water, heated until sugar dissolves, cooled)
• Orange slices
• Apple slices
• Blackberries

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Yield: about 8 servings

Chryst’s former offensive coordinator, Bob Bostad, left the Pitt Panthers after about a month on the job to become the offensive line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bostad is the second assistant to leave the staff in the past two weeks after running backs coach Eddie Faulkner left for Wisconsin.

“Bob’s a heck of a coach and there’s going to be people calling and there were opportunities and I knew this would be the type that would intrigue him to where he would want to talk, and if it was the right situation, that he would do it,” Chryst said.

While Chryst will now be looking to fill the void Bostad left behind, he supports his decision to leave.

“I’m not trying to skirt that, I really believe that. So, you trust people and they make the decision that’s best for them and I support him on that,” Chryst said.

Chryst also said that Tino Sunseri would be the starting quarterback heading into training camp.

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Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves as the Penguins shutout the Rangers 2-0.

Fleury’s third shutout of the season pulled him into a tie with Tom Barrasso for the franchise lead with 22.

After a forgettable performance against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the Penguins came out with a purpose and put the Rangers on their heels early.

Pittsburgh was buzzing in the offensive zone for extended periods of time in the first period, but could not get the puck behind Henrik Lundqvist.

The Penguins outshot the Rangers 11-6 in the period despite killing off a delay of game penalty on Ben Lovejoy.

However, it would not take long for the Penguins to solve Lundqvist in the second period.

Kris Letang sent Evgeni Malkin in on a breakaway with a long pass from his defensive zone. Malkin closed in on goal from a wide angle, crossed the goalmouth and lifted a backhander over a sprawling Lundqvist to put the Penguins up 1-0 just 1:05 into the period.

About 10 minutes later, the Penguins capitalized on their first power play opportunity of the contest.

The Penguins were able to get in the zone and set up. Eventually, the puck came to Steve Sullivan at the point.

He let a slap shot fly, which found its way through traffic and into the back of the net, putting the Penguins up 2-0.

Malkin’s assist on the goal was the 300th of his NHL career and gave him his 73rd point of the season. He now leads the NHL scoring race by three points over Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos.

From there, Fleury went to work and came up with two great glove saves on Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan.

The win was especially big for the Penguins because of how the playoff picture is shaping up. Entering Tuesday night’s action, the Penguins were sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

New York was sitting atop the conference and the Atlantic Division with a 10-point lead over the Penguins.

Pittsburgh was tied with the Flyers at 71 points and trailed the New Jersey Devils by one point.

Unfortunately, both the Flyers and Devils won in overtime so the Penguins only gained ground on the Rangers.

Pittsburgh will now prepare for two winnable games this weekend against Tampa Bay and Columbus.

The Lightning have already begun selling assets as Steve Downie and Dominic Moore have already been traded ahead of Monday’s deadline.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Vincent Lecavalier would be out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

As for Columbus, rumors are swirling about the availability of high-priced forward Rick Nash. It remains to be seen if the Blue Jackets will ship him out before the deadline or wait until the NHL Draft. Of course, they could always hold onto him, but time will tell.

Both of the games this weekend are at 1 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Center.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sheavedice

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With so many people using iPhones, Droids, iPads and similar devices, the nation is running out of bandwidth.

Dan Nordstrom certainly has noticed. “It just slows down the whole time and then there certain times when it just won’t even load up. … Like I go to it and I just try to load up Google.com, and it just won’t even load.”

Dropped calls and slow downloads are getting worse because of spectrum crunch, a short supply of the invisible frequencies through which cellular carriers enable us to transmit information.

“We only have a very limited amount of wireless spectrum that can be used and there are a whole bunch of different parties that want to use it,” Carnegie Mellon Professor Michael Smith told KDKA Money Editor Jon Delano.

The problem is not with your desktop computer, or even with your laptop computers connected through Wi-Fi. The big problem is smart phones. There are just too many people using these phones and downloading too much information.

If phones were limited to calls or texts, bandwidth usage wouldn’t be an issue. It’s those pictures, Facebook, Twitter and video that’s killing the available bandwidth.

Carnegie Mellon University Professor Ari Lightman says the entertaining elements of smart phones are the problem.

“Now that people are accessing their devices and want very bandwidth intensive transmissions like HD quality movies and gaming, that’s utilizing up large chunks of spectrum,” he said.

Part of the spectrum is reserved for the government, military and television, so cellular carriers can’t do much except cut our use by raising prices.

“Economics tells us that when a lot of people want to get access to a scarce resource, something’s got to give and typically it’s prices,” Smith said.

There is unused bandwidth owned by companies like Dish Network, but that doesn’t help the wireless carriers. So as service deteriorates and prices go up, “So now you’re going to think twice about streaming that video from Netflix on your mobile phone.”

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Ryan Safka is charged in connection with the deaths of David Rizzo, Tara Schulz and Derek Phillips.

They were killed two years ago when the car Safka was driving plunged over a hillside off the Parkway West.

After the verdict was read, Safka taken into custody immediately. However, he will be eligible for home electronic monitoring until sentencing takes place on May 15.

A ruling was delayed earlier this month because Judge Jeffrey Manning said there was no precedent for using event data recorder evidence for determining speed in Pennsylvania and that he did not have enough evidence to rule.

Earlier, a State Trooper testified that the car reached speeds of up to 106 miles per hour before it crashed.

The only other survivor of the crash, Brenden Johnson, testified that he had little memory of the events leading to the crash.

However, he believed Safka was driving at 70 to 75 miles per hour before the car lost control.

The defense claimed the data is skewed and that road conditions contributed to the crash.

A vigil will be held for the victims at the crash site behind the Days Inn on Banksville Road at 6:30 p.m.

Stay With KDKA.com For More Details

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(mpopchock@kdka.com)

The biggest story of Saturday was not just the surprise demise of No. 4 seed and AAAA-Sec. 2 champion Woodland Hills, a team that had the potential to make some noise this postseason, but the bizarre events leading up to the dismissal of the Wolverines by No. 13 seed Peters Township in boys’ Class AAAA competition.

First of all, the game, scheduled for a noon tip at California University, started about 45 minutes late because the Woodland Hills team bus erroneously went to IUP. Second of all, Gabe Pritz paced the Indians with 30 points in their 67-56 upset, but he sure didn’t leave the Convocation Center feeling like a winner. He had to get stitches after taking a punch from Woodland Hills’ leading scorer, Cincinnati football recruit Shakim Alonzo.

Speaking from experience, my immediate reaction upon hearing this story was as follows: a Peters Township player dropped an N-bomb in the general direction of Alonzo, who took it personally. Sadly, it appears my first instinct might have been correct.

Alonzo claims he was targeting a different player with the punch that crippled Pritz, and for that very reason. To the credit of Mike Decker, Alonzo’s head coach, Decker did not condone what his star senior did.

Peters Township head coach Gary Goga, one of the more colorful men in the WPIAL, was even less forgiving.

The WPIAL will hold a hearing on the matter, and now there is a possibility charges may be filed against Alonzo by the campus police.

What’s sad is the way this episode overshadows a terrific game by Pritz, one of the best step-up performances we’ve seen in the WPIAL Basketball Championships so far. What’s even sadder is the notion that some of us in western Pennsylvania haven’t learned from one of the most globally embarrassing periods in our nation’s history.

I’m confident whatever punishment the school gives Alonzo will be just, and young men of color everywhere need to be taught the example set by Jackie Robinson, a flag-bearer for future generations of black athletes: that real courage means not fighting back. Having said that, would anyone really be surprised if Alonzo’s side of the story were true, and by that same token, wouldn’t the reaction of a teenager under those circumstances be at least understandable, if not forgivable?

Two wrongs don’t make a right. But if it is determined by the WPIAL that racial epithets were hurled at Alonzo prior to him hurling his fist, those who provoked him don’t deserve a free pass either.

Meanwhile, the boys’ and girls’ tournaments resume Tuesday with the conclusion of the First Round. In Class AAA top seed New Castle begins its quest for its first boys’ basketball title since the Red Hurricane’s dynastic run in Quad-A 1997-99 when it takes on Highlands Tuesday night at 8:00. Highlands rallied to defeat Southmoreland 56-48 in a Preliminary Round contest at Gateway High School Friday:

This one is going to be all about guard play. Highlands senior and Drake recruit Micah Mason, the district’s all-time leader in career three-pointers, ranks among the top twenty scorers in WPIAL history, but he hasn’t gotten much help from his supporting cast this season. That changed Friday, when three others reached double digits, and the Golden Rams gutted one out despite a rare scoreless first half by Mason, who eventually ended with 18.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to imagine them stopping the dynamic backcourt duo of Corey Eggleston and Shawn Anderson. The New Castle cousins joined the 1,000-career-point club this season, and the undefeated Red Hurricane led the entire WPIAL with 81.4 points per game. My guess is, head coach Ralph Blundo throws a diamond-and-one, or some other junk defense, at Mason, the regular-season district scoring leader with 29.1 points per game, and his mates simply won’t be able to keep pace.

Another interesting contest on that side of the boys’ bracket is the 8:00 matchup between South Fayette, last year’s WPIAL runner-up, and Beaver Tuesday night. The teams boast identical 16-6 overall records, and while Beaver had the least scored-upon defense in its section, South Fayette entered the playoffs yielding just 43.3 points per game, the fewest in the classification.

I’m predicting a relatively well-played game won by the Lions, and if Keystone Oaks can hold serve against Trinity Tuesday, that would set up an interesting challenge for South Fayette’s defense in the Class AAA Quarterfinals Friday. The Golden Eagles are led by Rocco Constristano, who finished third among WPIAL boys with 24.1 points per game during the regular season.

In girls’ Quad-A, my eye is on the First Round meeting between North Allegheny and visiting Bethel Park Tuesday night at 6:30, though the concurrent First Round contest between Pine-Richland and visiting Plum should also be fun to watch.

N.A. ranked fourth in the classification during the regular season with 58.7 points per game, while Bethel, which gave up just 48.7 a night, is one of the top five teams in Class AAAA defensively. I say the Tigers live to face top seed and section rival Oakland Catholic in what could be a terrific quarterfinal matchup Friday, but the Black Hawks will make them work for it.

Pine-Richland and Plum enter the playoffs with each coming off a 14-8 regular season finish, and both squads have limped their way into this game. The Rams have been very inconsistent, while the Mustangs have seen a five-game win streak interrupted by two season-ending losses. Still, the individual battle between Emily Johanson of P-R and Krista Pietropola of Plum, each of whom averages 17 points a game, is fascinating, and given the recent wackiness on that side of the bracket, I’ll take Plum in an upset.

Furthermore, I foresee a couple upsets in girls’ Class AA: Keystone Oaks over Deer Lakes, and Avonworth over Bentworth. Keep a vigilant eye on Lauren Mayernik, the Lady Lopes’ leading scorer at 23.5 points per game.

Those games tip off at Canon-McMillan and Moon Area High Schools, respectively, Tuesday at 6:30.

Check back Wednesday for more playoff coverage, and click here for a complete list of boys’ First Round sites and girls’ First Round sites.

(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)

Authorities say Monongalia County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael May died after his patrol car was rammed during a police pursuit and crash on Interstate 79 just inside the Pennsylvania line.

Jerod Green, 35, of Morgantown, is facing charges of criminal homicide of a law enforcement officer, homicide while driving under the influence and other offenses.

Green is accused in connection with the early Saturday morning accident that claimed the life of Sgt. May.

KDKA’s Bob Allen reports:

According to authorities, sheriff’s deputies and police were trying to stop Green who was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident in Granville, W. Va.

“Mr. Green appeared to be intoxicated and subsequently fled from that traffic stop,” said Cpl. Steven Dowlin, of the Pennsylvania State Police. “During the subsequent pursuit, Green traveled into the state of Pennsylvania along State Route 19 into Mount Morris.”

State police say the crash happened after Green drove his pickup from Route 19 into the southbound lanes of I-79 in Perry Township.

Investigators say they believe Sgt. May was in pursuit with his lights were flashing when Green allegedly drove his pickup into the sergeant’s vehicle.

Sgt. May was pronounced dead at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown.

Meanwhile, the flag was flying half-staff at the Monongalia County Courthouse in Morgantown.

“We’re going to take a long time to heal from this because as I say, we go back quite a few years and it’s just difficult right now,” said Sheriff Al Kisner, of the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department.

Sgt. May Remembered At Local Event:

Sheriff Kisner says May was a respected professional and a friend.

“You know, you always hear about good personality people and stuff, and that’s exactly what he was,” said Sheriff Kisner. “Everybody got along with him; everybody was his friend, even people that he supervised.”

Sgt. May, 41, was a 10-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Department. He is survived by his mother, father and brother.

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“I hope they don’t file charges on her because they are such good people,” says next-door neighbor Ron Filo.

Brandi Furlong, 21, left her 2-day-old son, Howard, on the living room floor in a baby carrier. She went to use the bathroom and returned to find their pet Husky standing over her child.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner says the baby died from blunt force trauma to the head. He ruled the death accidental.

“We do believe wholeheartedly that it was only the Husky that was involved,” Dog Law Enforcement Officer Kenneth Ferree said.

The family has four dogs. The Husky is now in quarantine.

“It has shown aggression down here,” Ferree said. “That could be from what it has gone through.”

“Nico” is a one-and-and-a-half-year-old male. We found him thin, trembling, with his tail between his legs. He also has a recently broken right foreleg.

“Apparently they rescued this dog from the Craigslist website from Murrysville about two-and-a-half weeks ago.”

Ken Ferree, who owns a kennel, says what was going on inside the house on Scott Street was a recipe for disaster.

“And you throw in the factor of two new owners, brand new surroundings, three more dogs, a new baby, a broken leg – it’s almost like a ticking time bomb,” he said.

The baby’s family has already asked to have their dogs returned.

“This dog ain’t going anywhere until we find out from the courts, from the district attorney’s office what we need to do,” Ferree said.

Allegheny County Police tell me that they are working with McKeesport Police to find a local magistrate to have the dog put down.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s initial findings are that there were no crimes committed leading up to and contributing to the death of the baby, but the review is not yet complete.

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Malkin talked about his play this season in particular, how he has improved on face-offs and shootouts and being in the best condition of his life.

Starkey wrapped things up with Malkin asking him about what it feels like being identified as the best player in the world.

It happened in the 1700-block of Scott Street just after 9 a.m. Thursday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the boy as 2-day-old Howard Nicholson.

“It’s just a terrible thing,” Ron Filo, a neighbor, said. “They were so excited about having a new baby.”

The baby arrived home from the hospital Wednesday night. He was laying in carrier on the floor in the living room when he was attacked. His mother had gone upstairs for just a few minutes.

“The mother was out of the room at the time of the incident, came in and saw the dog hovering over the baby,” McKeesport Police Captain Tim Hanna said.

Authorities report that the newborn baby boy suffered severe head trauma and was taken to Children’s Hospital for treatment where he later died. His mother and father were with him.

Investigators say in all there were four dogs in the home. The Husky and a Pit Bull were removed by an animal control officer.

“They have a Husky that had [a] broken leg, but I didn’t think it was mean at all,” Filo said.

Allegheny County Police are investigating. They will turn over their findings to the district attorney’s office. There is the possibility of child endangerment charges, but nothing has been decided.

There’s also the issue of whether the family had too many dogs in the home. They may have been violating a McKeesport ordinance.

“I’m just sad for the baby,” Filo added.

Stay with KDKA for the latest details.

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The discusses the legislation introduced by Rep. Metcalfe. This legislation, Pennsylvania House Bill 934, would make voter photo ID a requirement.

Would you support this legislation or not?

You can listen to the whole interview here now!