PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Börje Salming is on his way to Canada this week.
Then the hockey icon can expect massive tributes in his old hometown of Toronto.
The icons Brendan Shanahan and Lanny McDonald now reveal the secret plans for the Swede, SportExpressen reports.
Recently took Börje Salming and the wife Pia Salming the decision to go to Canada for the upcoming Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony in Toronto. In addition to the fact that it is an extremely special weekend for the 71-year-old in his old home town, the plan is also to bring brake medicine home to Sweden.
Start to Canada
Ever since the news came that Salming was affected by the nerve disease ALS, the whole of Toronto has kept its fingers crossed for its favorite Swede and Maple Leafs legend. Now both the fans and the NHL team are getting ready to give their great love to the man they still call “The King”.
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President of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brendan Shanahan now reveals that the club plans to pay tribute to Salming in a big way this coming weekend. But the secret plans also hang on a fragile thread and it is decided entirely on how the 71-year-old feels.
– We plan as much as we can, but at the same time we know that in the end it will be a question for that day: How is Börje then, and what does he want and can be involved in? So I can’t be that detailed, because it’s up to Börje, says Shanahan to SportExpressen.
Powerful tributes
The NHL team, together with the Hockey Hall of Fame organization, will give the Swedish icon a powerful and extremely well-deserved tribute to show their great support during the tough time and to thank him for everything he has done for hockey in Toronto. The Maple Leafs have home games against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
– For the Friday game, we are working together with the Hockey Hall of Fame, and then they will introduce some previously inducted members, and also those who have been inducted this year. So I think he will be there at the Hall of Fame event health permitting. Then we in the Leafs would like to do something on Saturday specifically for Börje, but as I said, we’ll see what works. It will be up to the family. But we will contact them once they are here, and we will take it from there, says Shanahan in the interview.
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Salming’s former teammate Lanny McDonald, who is now chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame, also reveals that the plan is for the Swede to be honored in connection with the game on Friday. Then he also hopes that Börje can be at the election ceremony on Monday evening when the Swedes Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin get their places in the Hall of Fame.
– It will certainly be very emotional. And that he can bring his whole family for this, it’s incredible, says McDonald to the evening newspaper.
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