Maple Leafs legend Börje Salming dead at the age of 71
Börje Salming always seemed a little larger than life. Now in death it seems all the more true.
The Hall of Fame defenseman who was a fan favorite in Toronto, a hero in Sweden and who opened the doors to the NHL for European playersset the table on Thursday for ALS. He was 71.
His loss was immediately mourned, his life immortalized immediately.
The Swedish Hockey League held moments of silence before each game. In one game, fans chanted “Start Salming” as the action progressed. Teams across the NHL — even arch-rivals the Montreal Canadiens — tweeted their condolences afterward Maple leaf President Brendan Shanahan informed the world of Salming’s death.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs are mourning the loss of Börje Salming,” Shanahan said in a statement. “Börje was a pioneer of the game and an icon with an unbreakable spirit and undeniable toughness. He helped open the door for Europeans in the NHL and defined himself through his play on the ice and through his contributions to society.
“Börje joined the Maple Leafs 50 years ago and will forever be part of our hockey family. We express our deepest condolences to his wife Pia, his children Theresa, Anders, Rasmus, Bianca, Lisa and Sara and brother Stieg.”
Former Leafs captain Mats Sundin — who was with Salming two weeks ago at the Hockey Hall of Fame gala — sent the message to the Star, too distraught to speak.
“I am in shock and devastated by Börje’s sudden passing,” he said. “Börje was an incredible role model for me on and off the ice. He was equal parts humble, brave and strong.”
Rick Vaive, who followed Darryl Sittler as Leafs captain during the Salming era, was also devastated to hear the news.
“He meant so much to me,” Vaive said. “He sat right next to me from the day I came to Toronto. When I was named captain at 22, which wasn’t the best considering we had an older team, he was the guy who stood up for me. He was the first who stood up and said “Listen to Rick.”
“I always loved seeing him and talking to him. He helped me tremendously.”
Fans in Toronto loved Salming during his heyday in the 1970s and 80s. He could skate, pass and score. He was unselfish when it came to blocking shots by sliding across the ice to absorb slap shots in an era where few players did that, let alone star players.
Then there were the battles. He showed the bigots of the game that Swedes were not “chicken” and fought back against Broad St. Bullies in an era of bench-clearing brawls.
In doing so, he opened the gate for all European hockey players to follow, securing a legacy that makes his journey through ALS and now his death all the more poignant in Sweden
“He paved the way for all Swedes and Europeans into the NHL, mainly through his fearless play,” says Szymon Szemberg, CEO of the Alliance of European Hockey Clubs. “Before 1973, the Swedes were sure they could never match the toughness or meanness of Canadian hockey players. But Salming showed that they can be just as tough as them. This had a monumental psychological effect.”
The standing ovation for Salming at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1976 before Sweden’s match against Team Canada in the Canada Cup also showed the Swedish hockey fans how appreciated and loved he was in Toronto.
“Before this standing ovation, we could read things, but we just didn’t know the extent,” Szemberg said.
That ovation was voted last week by Swedish hockey fans as the Top Moment in Swedish hockey history at the Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s Centennial Gala in Stockholm, and topped all the international gold medals Sweden has won on ice.
It was also Salming’s last public appearance. Just before he was in Toronto, as part of Hockey Hall of Fame Celebration where he was celebrated twice at halftime at Scotiabank Arena, one night surrounded by Sittler, Sundin and Lanny McDonald.
The other night he was surrounded by his family one night when Leaf was training Sheldon Keefe iced a starting lineup consists of all six Swedish players on the team list.
Both nights were emotional, Sittler tearing up as he hugged Salming and raised his arm to the rafters to greet the crowd on the first night, the crowd giving No. 21 repeated standing ovations both nights.
“I’m so happy that the respect has gotten them this weekend and it’s been great to be a part of it,” Sundin said that weekend. “Very emotional.”
Sundin said then that Salming was an important mentor in his life.
“I remember talking to him right after I knew I was going to be a Maple Leaf, and he gave me a big reassurance and said, ‘You’re going to represent the best hockey team in the world and the best hockey city.’ But also when I was asked to be captain, I remember talking to Börje and he helped me with the decision. And so he’s been there for me my whole career.”
Salming had come for the Hall of Fame celebration in part to receive treatment for the disease that was not available to him in Sweden.
Others in the hockey community with ALS, including Flames manager Chris Snow and another ex-Leaf, Mark Kirton, have responded well to treatment.
But form of ALS he suffered from was particularly aggressive, rendering him unable to speak shortly after announcing his disclosure of his diagnosis in August.
The Leafs celebrating him those nights were called “welcome home” nights, but now feel like a tribute to a great player whose life was in more danger than anyone let on.
“When you think of the Leafs, you think of him,” Keefe said that weekend. “We have a number of Swedish players specifically who have a bond with him. He has even taken the time to spend time with them. It is very clear to me that he is a proud Maple Leaf.”
Salming’s Maple Leafs career began when he signed as a free agent prior to the 1973-74 season. Over the course of 16 seasons and 1,099 regular season games in the blue and white, he would go on to establish a team record for most assists (620) while also recording the most goals (148), points (768) and playoff points (49). by a defenseman in franchise history. His number 21 hangs from the ceiling at Scotiabank Arena as one of 19 players to have his number retired by the Maple Leafs.
A two-time Norris Trophy runner-up, Salming was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team in 1976-77 and Second All-Star Team on five occasions. In 1996, he became the first Swedish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was honored as one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in 2017.
On the international stage, Salming represented Sweden at four IIHF World Championships, three Canada Cups and the 1992 Winter Olympics. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998 and, in 2008, was recognized as part of the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team, with the six most successful players in the history of international ice hockey as voted by a panel of experts.
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