Daniel Alfredsson was elected to the Hall of Fame last night.
Then he gave the most powerful tribute to Börje Salming.
When he revealed his own strong memory of Salming, the applause never stopped.
That Daniel Alfredsson would be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame was far from obvious. He has been available for selection for many years, but has been snubbed year after year. Last year, however, several heavy-hitters in Ottawa launched a campaign to bring Alfie, and it succeeded. He was, along with the Sedin brothers, selected for the exclusive company.
Reveals own memory with Börje
And last night, during a ceremony in Toronto, it was time for Alfredsson to be formally selected. And there were, as expected, strong emotions. The weekend has mostly been about tributes to Börje Salming, who is currently fighting ALS. Over the weekend, Salming was praised enormously in connection with Toronto’s matches, and Börje was also mentioned in Alfredsson’s speech.
Daniel Alfredsson gave special thanks to Börje Salming in an emotional part of his speech, and it was met with huge applause. He also shared a special memory of Börje, and as he spoke, a picture of Salming, wearing the AIK jersey he played in when he returned to Swedish hockey after all his years in Toronto, was shown.
– I remember playing against Börje Salming in my first year in the Swedish league. He had come back to finish his career in Sweden. He’s such a legend that I could just stand there and watch him, the king, throughout the warm-up. I barely shot a single puck, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he says in the speech.
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“Thanks for everything”
Daniel Alfredsson then directed a special thank you to Börje, one of Sweden’s greatest of all time.
– Thank you, Börje, for everything you have done for us Swedish players who followed in your footsteps in the NHL. You are a true trailblazer, he says.
Börje Salming was not present during the night’s festivities, but according to information, he checked out the gala at the home of former Toronto captain Darryl Sittler, along with their families. Börje Salming now hopes to bring bronze medicine from Canada to Sweden, which was previously stopped at Swedish customs.
READ MORE: NHL expert Håkan Södergren almost breaks down when he pays tribute to Börje Salming with five fantastic words