PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Börje Salming left a big void behind him.
Now daughter Bianca Salming admits how tough the last time was.
– For us as a family who went around on all the trips and galas, it was the most horrible, she says in “Morgonpasset i P3”.
November 24, 2022 was a dark day for Swedish sports. Börje Salming fell asleep after battling the horrible nerve disease ALS and left a void behind.
Börje’s last will
He was 71 years old and was one of Swedish hockey’s absolute biggest profiles on the ice and a true role model on the sidelines. Tributes poured in for several weeks and everyone wanted to tell their story about how Salming touched their lives over the years.
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Börje Salming’s last wish in life was to say goodbye to his beloved hockey friends and supporters and gathered his strength for a final tribute tour. First, he traveled to Canada with his family and was honored two days in a row by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL.
READ MORE: Bianca Salming’s strong and beautiful confession about her father Börje: “Had a lot of problems when we were younger”
Bianca admits
Then the Swedish legend received a standing ovation several times during a memorable evening in the Avicii arena when the very best of Swedish hockey were to be celebrated in the “Hockey Gala of the Ages”. For Börje it meant everything, for the Swedish people there were extremely emotional scenes, but for the immediate family it was extremely tough.
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The daughter Bianca Salming guest on the radio program “Morgonpasset i P3” and talks openly and honestly about how it was the last time with father Börje.
– For me, it’s absolutely crazy that we actually managed to do everything. It feels unreal in retrospect. To be completely honest, we did everything because dad wanted it, he wrote it down in his pad that this was the only thing he wanted to do. But for us as a family who went around on all the trips and galas, it was the most horrible, because everything around was just hard, she says in the interview.
READ MORE: When Börje Salming destroyed a sports hall – and said sorry with an admirable gesture: “Börje was ashamed enough”
“Not a family”
The 24-year-old athlete admits that even though the family was together until the end, it was hard to feel a sense of community in it all.
– We weren’t like a family, but more of a medical team that made sure everything worked. We’re glad we did everything, but it wasn’t like it was enjoyed. I’m mostly just happy for his sake that we did it, says Bianca in the radio show.
Börje Salming has left an incredibly large impression on Bianca Salming and has been an important role model for her. Above all, that image has been strengthened after his passing and she got to share all the beautiful and loving things that others said about him.
– Dad is a great role model, especially the way he was. And it has become even more now that I have heard from other people how they have experienced him, that is how I want to be remembered. I think I’m similar to him, but he was so kind and I can be more hard and cold, she says in Morgonpasset.
READ MORE: Bianca Salming’s wonderful message of love – after father Börje Salming’s passing: “I make sure to…”