The first round series between the Bruins and Maple Leafs got off to a wacky start when Brad Marchand got up close and personal with Leafs forward Leo Komarov. Very up close and personal.

The Bruins pest was seen licking Komarov's neck during the second period of that game, presumably in an attempt to provoke the Toronto veteran and throw him off his game.

The tactic didn't really work, as Komarov seemed relatively unbothered by Marchand's invasion of personal space.

That may not be the only reason why Marchand never did it again in the series, which concluded with the Bruins winning Game 7 in Boston on Wednesday night.

According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the league sent Marchand a message after the game telling him to cut the crap.

After Game 1 of the Toronto/Boston series, the Bruins got a, "We'd prefer if you could tell Brad Marchand to stop licking people" phone call from the NHL.

This wasn't exactly an isolated incident between Marchand and Komarov. Earlier this season, Marchand planted a kiss on Komarov's cheek following a whistle. Komarov didn't seem too bothered by that one, either, even saying that he "kinda liked it" when asked about it after the game.

We've seen plenty of strange tactics used to get under players' skin over the years, but getting this intimate isn't your everyday stuff. It's clear that the NHL wanted to send the message to Marchand, who is notorious around the league for being an insufferable antagonizer, before things got out of hand.

It appears he got the message and is attempting to behave himself...for now.