I think many fans get caught up in semantics. It was a headshot, indeed. But it wasn’t a predatory dangerous one... should have been a minor penalty. But it’s not like the one where a player targets another player - usually tied-up with yet another player already - from off-in-the-distance and blows him up. Those ones aren’t hockey plays, can really cause long term brain injury, and have to be totally removed.
“Rough stuff” like in the OP is not good but also not a huge worry.
Maybe not, but what would be easier to take out of the game? Cheap shots where there’s no puck involved, or split-second decisions on a hockey play?
The Department of Player Safety shouldn’t be suspending players because of hits gone awry. The difference between this play and the Doughty hit is that Kopitar doesn’t have the puck and is an unsuspecting player. It’s the same reason why Cogliano was suspended - and rightfully so - the hit was on an unsuspecting player in a defenseless position. Similarly, if a player jumps or leaves his feet to target the head of an opposing player, that ought to be suspension-worthy as well.
But what message are we sending to players with a suspension like the one Doughty got? Your hit missed the guy’s shoulder by an three inches at full speed, and the opposing player might have played a part in it?
These kinds of plays would be so, so, so easy to take out of the game if the DoPS and the referees would just do something about it.
This thread is obviously going to garner some tit-for-tat responses due to the Doughty suspension, but it really highlights the failures and inconsistencies of the DoPS. No Kings fan here is blaming Vegas for the suspension. I think fans of all teams would appreciate the league putting forth a concerted effort to protect their players away from the puck and let them play a little more with the puck.
