Stanley Cup Playoffs: Brad Marchand gets a taste of Ryan Callahan (Video)
We think we speak for everyone here in the Bolts Nation when we say…EEW!!!
The Boston Bruins have been known to do some questionable things over the years to throw their opponents off their game or bait them into taking some sort of penalty, but in Game 4 on Friday night things escalated to a level no one ever expected things to reach.
Under normal circumstances, one would default to thinking it was about a dirty hit (which did start this whole ordeal, but we’ll get to that later,) a fight, or something along those lines. No…this was something far more strange, disgusting, and straight up out of line.
It all started just after the midway point in the second period. At this point, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins were all tied up at two goals each. The Lightning was attempting to gain control of the puck and clear the defensive zone. Lightning forward Ondrej Palat delivered a hard (but legal) hit to Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid.
Apparently, Bruins forward Brad Marchand had something to say about Palat’s hit on McQuaid so he delivered a dangerous low bridge to Lightning alternate captain Ryan Callahan. Once Cally made it back to his feet after what could have been a seriously dangerous hit, he wasted no time in confronting Marchand.
This, right here, is where things went from a man-to-man discussion to an absolutely disgusting moment. Once the two were mask-to-mask on the ice, Marchand decided it was a bright idea to lick Ryan Callahan’s nose. Yes, ladies and gentlemen…Brad Marchand licked a sweaty Ryan Callahan right on the underside of his nose.
There are simply no words for the amount of nasty in this eight-second clip. Why in the world would you do that to someone? There is absolutely no other purpose for something like this other than the intent to start a fight. It was completely surprising Cally didn’t drop Marchand on the spot.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has happened. We know…disgusting, right? Apparently, Marchand tried this same thing on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov during Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
At some point, the league is going to have to put their foot down. Considering the number of times Marchand has been fined and/or suspended for his actions, it’s blatantly clear he is not afraid of any sort of supplemental discipline.
Next: Lightning Battles Back To Extend Lead In OT
The league is going to have to find a way to put an end to this once and for all. If not, a day may come when Marchand gets seriously injured by a player who’s had quite enough of his shenanigans.