Photo: Bildbyrån
They played together for the first time in the 1991 Canada Cup.
When Mats Sundin met the idol Börje Salming for the first time, he was struck by how fit the 40-year-old was.
“We tried not to stare,” writes Sundin in his new autobiography “Tur och retur: My story”.
Two of our greatest Swedes ever in the NHL have a common denominator: the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both Börje Salming and Mats Sundin are legends within the organization and have had their jerseys hoisted to the ceiling of Scotiabank Arena. They never played together in the club team, but the fact is that they managed to play together in Tre Kronor.
Met his idol
Like many other children of his generation, Mats Sundin had Börje Salming as a big idol growing up. Over the years, they became close friends, thanks in large part to their shared love of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But even before Mats went to the Canadian club in 1994, he had met Salming in the context of the national team.
In his new autobiography “Tur och retur: My story” (released October 22), “Sudden” tells about what it was like to meet his great idol during a camp with Tre Kronor before the Canada Cup in 1991.
“The national team’s training camp was held in Sunne in Värmland. The plan was to mix training on bare ground with some skating at the local ice hockey rink. I was so happy to get the chance to play with Börje Salming. He had retired from the NHL the season before I got there and was now playing in the SHL. He was forty and almost ten years older than everyone else in the national team,” writes Mats Sundin in his book.
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Salming was 40 at the time and Sundin was 20. Just like everyone else, he adored his mentor. The others in the national team really looked up to Börje, who had legendary status even then. Not only by the Swedes, but by all the players in the tournament.
Was incredibly fit
Above all, there were many who were impressed by Börje Salming’s completely incomparable physique. Although he was the oldest, he was also the toughest of all. He was also not shy about showing off his handsome body.
“The morning after we settled into the hotel, the team gathered outside for a run. We stretched and jumped around a bit to warm up while we waited for everyone to arrive. The last to arrive, and the only one who chose to run without a shirt, was Börje. He greeted everyone with his friendly smile and raspy voice, and we tried not to stare. It didn’t matter that he was forty – he was extremely fit and in better shape than guys half his age,” says “Sudden”.
Börje Salming passed away from ALS in November 2022. Mats Sundin met him a lot at the end of his life. He remembers Börje as both a role model and a close friend.
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“Börje’s passing made me think about how fate made our paths cross in life – how amazing it was that two Swedes would have such strong ties to the same NHL team just over six hundred miles from home. I thought about how we had talked in 1994 when he assured me that I would have a great time in Toronto, and how he then persuaded me to take on the role of captain in 1997. He was first a hero to me, then a mentor and friend.” writes Mats Sundin.
Everyone who met Börje Salming said that he was so incredibly good in every way. An absolutely magnificent person who is truly missed.
Nicely written by Mats in the book. A beautiful tribute to his great childhood hero.
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