I remember the newspaper photo of Borje and his 200+ stitches filling the whole front page of the Toronto Sun. I don't remember how long after, but I do remember being amazed how he was playing hockey so soon after that!
I'm Swedish on my mother's side and it's always rankled me when idiots (most notably hockey Neanderthal Don Cherry) attack Swedish players like the Sedins. I was 19 when Borje Salming came into the NHL and he was instantly a hero to me. I'm proud of the fact that Swedes were foremost among the European players in the WHA who transformed hockey offenses. Lidstrom, Forsberg, Sundin, the Sedins, Dahlin, etc., all owe a debt to Salming.
@@ryanprosper88 if you’re the target of his ridicule. I used to like Cherry, and in some cases still do, but he is a well documented racist and right wing nutjob
rest in peace Börje. He's one of the biggest Swedish players. I think maybe an argument can be made for that Lidström surpassed him but the way he paved the way for not only other swedes but all other european players makes him the biggest for me.
@@skeksis1085 Not to take anything away from Lidström and Forsberg, but I wouldn’t say they drove European players to the NHL. A lot happened between 1973 (Salmings entry) and 1991 (Lidströms entry), in terms of European players impact. Just to name a few Swedes (that I for some reason know best 😉), Anders Hedberg, Ulf Nilsson, Pelle Lindbergh, Kent Nilsson, Mats Näslund, Håkan Loob.
Hello from Sweden 🇸🇪 😀. Börje Salming, was probobly one of the biggest national heroes for us. Salming was the type of guy who would take 3 punches to land 1, he didn't care 💪💪💪
I was born long after Borje retired, but growing up in Ontario when Maple Leaf D-men were spoke about Borje’s name always came up. Always something like “If we had a guy like Borje Salming on the back end we’d be in better shape”, it was a constant sediment I’d hear in regards to how the Leafs should improve in an era where they could of used a “Borje”. Borje’s arrival really opened the door for other European players. Thanks for the video Shannon
Always had great respect for this man. Refs were prejudiced against him in the beginning, too. They wouldn't call penalties on guys who mugged him. I remember Don Cherry trashing him, saying he could go into the corners with eggs in his pocket, and come out with them unbroken. My response was, 1: he goes into the corners (takes guts, especially in those days) 2: comes out with the puck (and a bloody nose). I was very moved by the tribute Toronto gave him, and glad that they managed it in time. He died shortly thereafter. RIP
Swede's may not be among the best fighters or enforcer's............but they are tough, resilient, rugged, quiet, talented and fearless, all words that describe Borje. The Sedin's made an entire career of playing down low getting a pummelling every night. Nik Lidstrom was a minute munching work horse who out thought, out positioned, out worked and out played everyone else. Peter Forsberg........played such a physical style with and without the puck that you couldn't contain him, and only had to retire due to a congenital foot/ankle defect. Victor Hedman, tough, rugged, mobile, minute munching machine. Bob Nystrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Gab Landeskog, Mikael Renberg, Mats Sundin etc etc. I played hockey at the English Elite league level with a player by the name of Jani Saartama. Finnish mother and Swedish father, played Junior in Sweden then U20 for Jokerit then the Men's Jokerit team. He was once cross checked from behind into the boards so badly it broke his wrist, dislocated his elbow(which he popped back in) and he smashed his face on the boards. He changed from a forward to D man because he could just use 1 hand on his stick and play(his words). This was in the 90s when English ice hockey was like Raw is War every night. Jani was a 100 point a year player, we'd already won everything that year, yet he still finished the game, missed 1 game that season and swapped to D man for the last 3 games so the fans weren't disappointed. I've never met a bad Swede, Fin or Norwegian in my 40 years around the game. Biggest party animals and best team mates I ever had.
Like many others who remember seeing Borje Salming play, you couldn't be anything but impressed by not only the way he played, but all the difficulties he initially went through before he was accepted as "belonging in the NHL". If you wanted to know how beloved he was to the people of Toronto, all you need to see was the standing ovation he got from the fans before the start of the Sweden-Canada game in the 1976 Canada Cup - it was even louder than what Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald received. It sucks that he never won the Norris, but to be mentioned in the same breath as players such as Orr, Robinson, and Potvin tells you how truly talented he was as defenseman and being the first Swedish player inducted into the HHoF was just the icing on the cake. Truly a legend - not only for the Maple Leafs, but for hockey in general. RIP, King Borje.
He should've won the Norris in 76/77 & 79/80 when he finished 2nd both times to Larry Robinson & Denis Potvin respectively. They both played on powerhouse teams while the Leafs were basically a middle of the pack club. Salming played 30+ minutes a night, playing every other shift most of the time. Robinson was an excellent D-man, but Salming was better. I saw them in a skills competition in '76/77 called 'Showdown'. Not even close. Salming absolutely owned Larry in the 3 skill categories. In '77/78 he went up against Guy LaPointe & beat him too, but it was much closer. The Salming/LaPointe Showdown can be found on YT.
I think Börje Salming's greatness is one that can't be measured in sheer statistics. The man had a huge impact on how Swedish and European players were seen and how the game developed, not least by his injuries as THG mentions. He might've been called The King, but for me he'll always be known as the Warrior archetype. He might've been quiet, but he was fearless, and a fierce competitor. His statistics are good, and though he didn't really win any large silverware, he'll always be seen as a winner in my book. He went through a lot of adversity on and off the ice, and he never gave up.
He was before my time but I know he was Lidstrom's favorite player growing up, and for that reason it's kind of nice that Salming played for the Red Wings the same year Lidstrom was drafted.
This was probably part of why the Wings signed him in 89-90. Another Swedish born player who could speak to Lidstrom, and mentor him in terms of gaining acceptance through skill and strong defensive play.
GOAT Leafs defenceman. A player who will forever be loved in Leafs Nation. The tribute the Leafs had for him earlier this season was pure class. I started following the Leafs as a kid in the 1986-87 season so I got to see the last few years Salming was with the Leafs. He was the perfect blend of skill and heart. RIP King.
Stan Mikita was a Slovak as well as his parents. He emigrated to Canada when he was like 7 years old. Ivan Boldirev was a Serb, born in the former Yugoslavia. Joe Sakic is by blood a 100% Croatian, since both of his parents are immigrants from there (Croatia was also a part of the former Yugoslavia). They had him, however, after their arrival to Canada.
Not to be forgotten! Possibly his greatest achievement - In 2008 Borje Salming was voted in to the "IIHF team of the Century" by 56 hockey experts from 16 countries, besides Slava Fetisov, behind Gretzky, Makarov and Kharlamov and in front of Tretiak.
I was born in '82. I'm not familiar with watching him play. I have a gut feeling had I lived through his tenure, Salming would be one of, if not my all time fav player. LEGEND. Thanks for this video. RIP Borje Salming
We still see a lot of that ultra-cringy stuff with respect to North American vs European born players today. I remember when not too long ago, a certain former GM of the Vancouver Canucks was vocally in search of a player with "North American grit" and "European skill," as if Peter Forsberg was soft and Wayne Gretzky was a member of the Broad Street Bullies.
Worth mentioning the 5 minute standing ovation in the 1976 Canada Cup game in Toronto between Sweden and Canada. Something that made future tournament hosts to take measures something like that wouldn't happen again. Can't have the (Canadian) home crowd cheering on an opponent.
Salming was, is, and will always be my favourite player. I grew up watching the Leafs and as much as I liked Sittler and Palmy there was something special about Salming. He was a perfect two way defenseman. I remember when they suspended him for saying he did cocaine at some point, I am sure lots of players back then were doing coke. The Toronto Sun showed the pictures of when his face got carved up, it's an image that I still can vividly remember seeing, scary.
I had never heard of him (being 37 and never a toronto fan) growing up. A couple of years ago, I mentioned seeing one of your career videos to a buddy of mine at work (who is in his 60s) and he just couldn't praise him enough. Rip to a legend.
It's a shame that you couldn't make this after his passing, because people would accuse you of profiting on his death. I'm glad to finally see this video. Thanks Shannon! 🙂
This guy was , more importantly, an incredible defensive force as well. This attribute sometimes gets lost when dealing wuth a player who has such great offensive skills. JD
Thank you for this video. Having to delay it a month to avoid trolls is frustrating. I love hearing about past players and seeing your career videos on them.
The Chicken Swede was coined by Phil Esposito about Salming, Stig Salming, Börjes big brother. He was called Stygge Stigge in sweden cause he annoyed other players and especially Phil who wanted to fight him, but Stig avoided Phil but still teased him. Stig was what Ulf Samuelsson became but worse. Many believed, in Sweden, that Stig avoided Phil cause Stig would have ended Phil's career (Stig could fight and was strong as an Ox), believe or not.
This is the reason I think Nylander should take 8 for 4 and 8.5 for4 and stay in Toronto for his career win cups here and you are immortalized, same as AM take 12 for 4 and 12.5 for 4 and become immortalized in hockey lore. We know Marners staying he knows what being a leaf means Tavares as well. No pressure boys just do what your best at you have a 2 time Stanley cup champion between the pipes now. Just have to go get it your ready.
I don't understand the anti-Swedish/anti-European sentiment a lot of people had, and still have today. I mean just watch any Niklas Kronwall or Peter Forsberg highlight reel and tell me they're soft players. It's probably cost the NHL immeasurable amounts of talent over the year. It's a shame
RIP salming. I don’t consider him the greatest maple leaf d men ever to play, that title belongs to Tim Horton and if bill barilko didn’t pass away at an early age we’d be having a bigger discussion but borje is a close second. Also just got his patch in the mail a couple days ago. GO LEAFS GO
Who exactly considered the Leafs as legit contenders in the 1970s? They never even finished higher than #3 out of 4 in their own division... where team #4 was the California Seals / Cleveland Barons.
They were never contenders until the Gilmour era. Highlight was beating the Islanders before they were the Islanders. Montreal was untouchable, Phi and Boston were always considered superior.
