Nicklas Lidström had heard the stories.
But when he himself got to be with Börje Salming in Toronto, he could hardly believe his eyes.
– We didn’t think it was true, says Lidas.
When Börje Salming died last year, tributes poured in from all corners of the world. Few Swedish athletes have had the same importance as Salming, and the influence he had on all the Swedish stars who followed him is difficult to grasp.
Suffers shock in Toronto
Everyone has had Börje Salming as their idol, and Nicklas Lidström is no exception. Lidas is classified as one of the best players in NHL history, and he says himself that he has Börje to thank for that. Lidström and Salming actually managed to play with each other for a few years, and it was then that Lidas understood just how great Börje actually was.
They both played together during the Canada Cup in 1991. Lidström had heard the stories about when Salming was celebrated in the Canada Cup in Toronto 15 years earlier, but it was on a hockey rink. In connection with a match. When they were both out on the town in 1991, it was something else. Lidström says that cars stopped, rolled down their windows and everyone screamed. The traffic stopped completely, just because Salming was out and walking from the hotel towards the arena. And this was long after Salming left Toronto to play at home in Sweden.
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“Didn’t think it was true”
Nicklas Lidström remembers it to this day.
– We didn’t think it was true. We knew he was big, but we didn’t know he could wreak havoc on the streets. But he did. We saw how big he was from the first floor, in Toronto, which was overwhelming and big for us younger people, Lidas told The Athletic.
Lidström and Salming then formed a back pair during the tournament, and Salming was a great support to him.
– He gave me confidence. I was nervous to play with him. You just felt like you had to give him the puck all the time, but he was the opposite. He made me feel safe and allowed me to do what I was good at. I will never forget how he supported me, and calmed me down to make me play the hockey I could play.
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