\n
![\"Brad](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/marchand.jpeg?resize=195%2C195\")
<\/p>\nThe NHL Has Not Asked Boston Bruin Brad Marchand to Stop Licking and Kissing Players\u2019 Faces: WATCH<\/b>
\n<\/p>\n
Boston Bruin Brad Marchand has been making headlines for a unique form of agitation during the game: he has a fondness for licking and kissing opponent\u2019s faces.<\/p>\n
As in this recent game when he gives it to Leo Komarov of the Toronto Maple Leafs:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Marchand has given it to Komarov before:<\/p>\n
\ufeff<\/span>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n Reporters asked Marchand why he did it.<\/p>\n Said Marchand: \u201cHe keeps trying to get close to me. I don\u2019t know if he\u2019s got a thing for me or what. He\u2019s cute.\u201d<\/p>\n What is it about Komarov that makes you want to cuddle with him?<\/p>\n Brad Marchand: \u201cHe\u2019s cute.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/bZ4hJgNIq4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Dunphy (@m_b_dunphy) April 13, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The NHL reportedly told Marchand to cool it, which Marchand denied.<\/p>\n False<\/p>\n \u2014 Brad Marchand (@Bmarch63) April 27, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The NHL told USA Today<\/em>\u00a0on Friday that Marchand is right<\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cNo, we did not contact the Bruins or Brad Marchand regarding this incident,\u201d NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told USA TODAY Sports. \u201cIt\u2019s just not true.\u201d<\/p>\n Though ESPN published a conflicting reportl ast night: \u201cThe NHL felt Marchand\u2019s actions were a little less cute. A league spokesperson confirmed a report by Sportsnet that the NHL demanded Marchand not repeat that particular antic again. A message was communicated to Marchand through the series\u2019 supervisor of officials Mick McGeough.\u201d<\/p>\n Replied Marchand to the tweet (since deleted): \u201cThis derogatory statement is offensive to many people around the world your the kind of kid parents are ashamed of.\u201d<\/p>\n Marchand got much support for his tweet.<\/p>\n Added Marchand at the time: \u201cI want to stand up for what I believe in, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right when people say things or bash people because of their sexual orientation. I have friends who are in gay<\/a> relationships, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s right for people to be against that. Everyone is allowed to find love whatever way that is, so I felt like that was a time to say something, especially nowadays. We\u2019re in 2017, and things are a lot different than they were 100 years ago. We\u2019re all evolving to be equal, and that\u2019s the way things should be.\u201d<\/p>\n Marchand also said that pro hockey is ready for a gay<\/a> player: \u201cGuys would accept that, no question. We\u2019re a team in the [dressing] room and a family. It doesn\u2019t matter what different beliefs guys<\/a> have, or where they come from, or whatever the case may be. Guys would accept it. Again, in the room we\u2019re a family. That\u2019s the way it is on a hockey team, and that\u2019s the way it will always be\u2026It\u2019s bound to happen at some point, and when it does, it will be accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n The post The NHL Has Not Asked Boston Bruin Brad Marchand to Stop Licking and Kissing Players\u2019 Faces: WATCH<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\n
In any case, you may have read about Marchand on this site before, when he\u00a0spoke to ESPN<\/a>\u00a0about a tweet he wrote in late December denouncing a fan who called him a \u201cfag\u201d, and about his support for gay<\/a> people in general.<\/p>\n