Borje Salming dies of ALS at age 71 (1951-2022)

[Sal]

NHL Hall Of Famer Borje Salming, who spent 17 of his 18 seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, died yesterday from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease - at the age of 71. His family announced his condition less than 3 months ago on social media and his friends in the hockey world were saddened and shocked by the news.

Salming was the first European-born player to have success in the NHL. His first season was in 1973-74, the heyday of Philadelphia's "Broad Street Bullies" and it was the Flyers that posed the biggest threats to him calling him "Chicken Swede" and other less than pleasant remarks while trying to intimidate him through fighting and dirty stickwork. After a few years, they and other teams stopped trying because Salming survived all the threats and cheap shots and proved that he belonged among the best in the NHL. He was named an All-Star on defense 6 seasons in a row between 1974-80 and was the runner-up for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman twice. He still holds many team records on the Leafs including most assists and points by a defenseman in a career and most assists by any player in his career. Salming spent his final NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings in 1989. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame in 1996 and had his #21 retired by the Leafs on October 15, 2016.

The Leafs and the NHL made plans to honour him two weeks ago during the annual Hall Of Fame Game in Toronto. The Hall Of Fame Class Of 2022 included Swedish superstars Daniel Alfredsson and the Sedin twins Henrik and Daniel. They considered Salming to be their hero crediting him for paving the way for Swedish hockey players and other Europeans to follow their dream of playing in the NHL and being accepted as being among the best in the world.

They were introduced at a pre-game ceremony before a game between the Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins that was highlighted by a personal and emotional appearance by Salming himself, surrounded by his family and former teammates Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald as well as Mats Sundin, the first European to become captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The next night when the Vancouver Canucks visited, Salming appeared again as the Leafs gave him their own tribute that included a video which highlighted his great career. As a further tribute, Leaf coach Sheldon Keefe iced a starting lineup that featured 6 Swedish players, including goaltender Eric Kallgren. It was the last time the fans would see him in person. Two weeks later, he was gone.

He was one of my favorite players growing up as a Leaf fan and one of the best that I have ever watched. I will miss him terribly.

LINKS

Hockey Hall Of Fame

NHL.com - Toronto Maple Leafs

Sportsnet

TSN

[TJ]

Sad news about The King. Sorry for the loss of one of your favorite players.

His ALS was very fast progressing. It was nice they were able to honor him in recent weeks. I watched him against Chicago and St. Louis in Norris Division battles in the 1980s.