Fansided

Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand Warned: No More Licking

By Phyllis Hunter |
BOSTON, MA - MAY 4: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins and Brad Marchand #63 look on during the first period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 4, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 4: Torey Krug #47 of the Boston Bruins and Brad Marchand #63 look on during the first period of Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 4, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

I can not believe I am writing this, but Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand has been warned by the NHL to stop licking the faces of his opponents.

Colin Campbell, the Executive Vice President of the NHL, had to make a phone call that can only be described as surreal. Campbell spoke with Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, and also had a chat with Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney.

The call happened on Saturday, a day after Marchand’s second licking incident of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. During Friday night’s 4-3 Bruins overtime loss, Marchand licked the face of Tampa Bay’s Ryan Callahan.

Callahan was not impressed at all with the extra attention., speaking after the game.

I don’t know what the difference is between that and spitting in someone’s face.

Tampa Bay Head Coach Jon Cooper was also not amused.

There is absolutely no place in our game for that.

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Marchand’s first licking victim, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov, seemed to have a sense of humor about the oral fixation, calling Marchand cute and laughing after he was the object of some bizarre affection. It was rumored that Marchand would be spoken to officially, but the call did not happen after that incident.

The NHL brass appears to agree with Callahan and Cooper, not Kamarov. During the call, Marchand was reportedly told that the licking was unacceptable behavior and that any further licks would result in penalties.

Marchand’s Wrap Sheet

Marchand’s behavior has caught the ire of the NHL on numerous occasions in the past. 2018 was particularly bad for the Boston forward.  He was suspended five games in January 2018 for a deliberate hit to the head of Marcus Johansson. March 2018 saw Marchand fined $2,000 for diving. April would see him fined the maximum allowable penalty of $5,000 for a vicious cross-check against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald.

Brad Marchand has always played on the edge, and has often times obviously crossed that line. Questionable hits, a reputation for slew-footing and being a burr under the saddle of his opponents is one thing.

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Licking the faces of your opponents crosses a line that should not have to exist. It is behavior that is juvenile and crude, and I agree with Tampa Head Coach Cooper; there is no place for it. If Marchand doesn’t understand that, there is no place in the game of hockey for him.

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