The lick that smeared a hockey game

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Not the kind of licking you would associate with a hockey game, it was one player licking another player on the face during the game. The playoff game between the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lighting on Friday night was gearing up to be an exciting one and it was except for an unfortunate incident. Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins licked Ryan Callahan of the Tampa Bay Lightening, while in the midst of a fight during the game. This same player had previously licked another player, Leo Komarov, in the first round of the playoffs. This led to the anger of commentators who spent the rest of the game discussing the lick and wondering if it wasn't the same as a sexual assault or the same as a spit. It was also felt that Marchand delivered a low blow to Callahan which led to the fight in the first place. Tampa Bay won in overtime anyway. Whoohoo! Would you consider licking your opponent in the face during a sporting event an assault?