TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto Maple Leafs great Borje Salming, whose accomplishments and longevity in the NHL paved the way for many European stars in the 1970s, has died at the age of 71, his former team said on Thursday.
Salming, who became the first Swedish player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, announced in August that he had been diagnosed with the progressive nervous disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“Borje was a pioneer of the game and an icon with an unbreakable spirit and unquestioned toughness,” Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan said in a statement.
“He helped open the door for Europeans in the NHL and defined himself through his play on the ice and through his contributions to the community.”
Despite his battle with ALS, Salming travelled to Toronto two weeks ago and was honoured with emotional tributes ahead of two games, including an entirely Swedish Maple Leafs starting lineup for the first time in the storied franchise’s history.
Salming’s NHL career began in 1973 when he signed as a free agent with the Maple Leafs, where he spent 16 seasons before playing one season with the Detroit Red Wings.
During his Maple Leafs tenure, Salming showcased remarkable puck handling skills with superior defensive play and became one of Toronto’s most respected and popular players.
Salming played 1,099 regular season games with Toronto and set a team record for most assists (620) while registering the most goals (148), points (768) and playoff points (49) by a defenseman in franchise history.
On the international stage, Salming represented Sweden at four world championships, three Canada Cups and the 1992 Olympics.
“A superior all-around defenseman and the first Swedish star ever to play in the League, Borje Salming was as physically and mentally tough as he was skillfully gifted,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.
“He blazed the trail that many of the greatest players in NHL history followed while shattering all of the stereotypes about European players that had been prevalent in a League populated almost entirely by North Americans before his arrival in 1973.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Josie Kao)
