Börje Salming Obituary

Börje Salming was a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman who played for Brynäs IF, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Detroit Red Wings, and AIK over a 23-year career.

Salming was born on April 17, 1951, in the Kiruna village of Salmi, near Torneträsk in the Jukkasjärvi Parish.

Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the National Hockey League, and he is widely regarded as a national hero in his native Sweden and a trailblazer for European athletes (NHL).

He was a premier defenseman of his era, having been named to six consecutive NHL All-Star teams.

Salming’s decorated NHL career spanned 17 seasons between Toronto and Detroit from 1973 to 1990, totaling 1,148 games and 787 points. Salming, a two-time Norris Trophy runner-up, was the first Swedish-born player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and the IIHF Hall of Fame two years later.

In 2017, as part of its centennial celebrations, the NHL named Salming one of the ‘100 Greatest Players’ in league history.

Borje Salming passed away on 24 November 2022 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)  after being diagnosed with the condition only four months prior. He was 71 years old.