CRANBERRY TWP — Sidney Crosby was not the only one dealing with concussion issues this past season.

Pittsburgh Huskies Youth 16-AA coach Vic Whann has experienced firsthand watching his son, Nick, try to recover from a severe concussion he suffered back in February.

“We’re just going Thursday in a bold attempt to get him cleared,” Whann said. “We all try to be cognizant about concussions, but when it hits home, it’s scary in how long it takes to recover.”

That’s why it’s big news that the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with UPMC, plan to build not only a state-of-the-art hockey training and practice facility to the township, but one that deals exclusively with hockey-related injuries and prevention.

“That would be a great thing,” Freeport varsity coach Dave Hepler said. “Unless (Pens’ physician) Chip Burke’s your team’s physician, I don’t know if there’s a doctor who works on hockey players.

“It will be a great addition to the sport and for families who have kids who play. Who knows who you take your son or daughter to have someone repair of rehab something. Who knows if the person who took care of the kid before yours is the best option you have,” Hepler added.

Of course, the idea of having a 155,000 square-foot facility near Cranberry Woods — one where the Penguins all the way down to youth teams will practice as well as camps and public skates — has its rewards as well.

“First of all, the Penguins will be close and if that’s for practices, that’s fantastic,” Whann said. “The ability to drive a short time to see a practice, that’s so convenient. It’s tough to get a ticket to see them at the Consol Energy Center.

“Wow, it doesn’t get a lot better than that,” Whann added.

“That is an excellent benefit for everyone around here,” Hepler said. “More kids will play. There was a big surge when Mario (Lemieux) played and now another one with Evgeni (Malkin). Everyone starts playing.”

Whann, however, isn’t so sure interest has built up — at least not yet.

“There is a lot of hockey interest and more can grow,” Whann said. “I don’t know if I see a big influx right now, at least in the league I coach in. I think things have leveled off. Sometimes, it takes a little thing to continue.”

Butler varsity coach Mike Guentner thinks hockey and Pittsburgh go hand in hand, especially with all the activity in the area.

“It speaks a lot to the development of youth hockey in the area,” Guentner said. “Pittsburgh is a recruiting ground for colleges in the area. The (NHL) draft (hosted last week in Pittsburgh) speaks for itself.”

Still, this building, slated to be completed by the summer of 2014, could be a boon for hockey in the area, trying to get a foothold into the idea that Pittsburgh is a hockey town.

“I think one of the challenges of hockey, and any given region,” Guentner noted, “is educating those who play the game. Butler hockey, for instance, one of the challenges is this is a football town. When you’re working on training and conditioning, a football coach will say get bigger and bigger. The reality is hockey is not like that.

“If you develop players, you want to make sure you do the right thing. A facility like that makes sense,” Guentner added.

The facility not only will shine a spotlight in Cranberry Township, but will also put its imprint on hockey across the country.

“It’s a positive, all the way around,” said Whann.