Niklas Wikegård cried live when Börje Salming died.
The expert now speaks straight from the heart about the icon – and that says everything about Salming’s status.
– A piece of me died, says Wikegård.
Börje Salming’s fight against ALS involved an entire country, and also every hockey supporter in the world. Salming was a pioneer for European hockey players, paving the way as one of the first players from the other side of the Atlantic to succeed in the world’s best and toughest hockey league.
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Börje Salming played in the NHL during a time where it was much harder, and more difficult, to succeed than now. The Americans were always on the lookout for the Swede, who, however, earned the respect of his teammates and supporters by never backing down. Salming became one of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ greatest of all time, and shortly before his death, he received an incredibly powerful ovation from the home crowd in Toronto, in connection with an NHL game.
Salming also managed to receive the Swedish hockey people’s tributes during the “Hockey Gala of the Ages”, and not an eye was dry when Salming walked on stage and formed a heart with his hands. When the news of Salming’s passing reached the Swedish people, there were many who mourned. For the long-time expert Niklas Wikegård, one of Sweden’s most popular hockey profiles, it was extra special.
Wikegård’s heartbreaking words
Niklas Wikegård was working for C More during a match in Leksand when the news of Salming’s death came. Wikegård stood directly in front of the camera, and talked about a player who meant so much to Swedish hockey and sports – but it didn’t work. Wikegård had difficulty getting the words out, and instead burst into tears. The pictures of Wikegård, taken in the seriousness of the moment, were widely circulated.
Now when Wikegård, in connection with an interview with Aftonbladet, talks about Salming’s death, it proves once again what incredible status the Swedish back icon has in Swedish hockey.
– It went so incredibly fast, it came as a shock when you stood there in the booth in Leksand. You could hear mumbling in the stands. Those of us who worked on the match probably heard it later than most others. Then they wanted me to be on TV and comment on it and it was hard. For me, it was a piece of both me and ice hockey that died when that type of person disappeared, says Wikegård.
READ MORE: Peter Forsberg reveals the shock when he met the icon Börje Salming for the first time: “He’s not wise”