Brutal headshot in Sharks/Kings preseason game draws the attention of NHL Player Safety

In case you missed it last night, the San Jose Sharks got past the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 3-1 in preseason exhibition play.

While the game itself didn't provide many headlines, an absolutely brutal headshot from Kings forward Jacob Doty on Sharks forward Jeff Viel has alerted NHL Player Safety and will result in a hearing for Doty tomorrow.

Check it out:

And here's the hit in question:

Look... first off... this is an absolutely brutal headshot. Doty shows no let up and clearly targets Viel when Viel is in a vulnerable position. No question that this hit should result in a penalty and perhaps supplemental discipline. BUT...

BUUUUUUUUT...

This is a hit that has two guilty parties in my books. Again, Doty is clearly guilty of headhunting but Viel puts himself in an absolutely TERRIBLE position. Head down, feet on the trolley tracks in the neutral zone. Just waiting to get absolutely BLOWN UP. And then what happens? He gets blown up. Go figure, eh?

Again, I don't want to remove any culpability from Doty. This is a predatory hit that should be eliminated from the game, but one way to eliminate hits like this is to put some onus on the "victim", as well. If Viel doesn't put himself in a situation to get blown up then he won't get blown up. I'm a firm believer that the way to clean up the game isn't to put all of the onus on players to not lay bad hits, but to educate players players better on how to avoid situations like this entirely. Put bluntly: You can't come cruising through the neutral zone with your head down waiting for a pass. Furthermore, you have to put some onus on the defenseman who threw this absolutely suicidal pass up to Viel. How do you not see Doty loading up and licking his chops? C'mon boys... this is stuff you should learn in Bantam...

Nevertheless, I suspect that Doty will receive a stiff punishment from NHL Player Safety and we'll continue to see hits like throughout the season with not thought as to why stuff like this happens so often. Okay... rant over.