Sweden has grief.
After Börje Salming’s death, tributes pour in for the icon.
In the middle of the World Cup broadcast in football, the profiler Lasse Granqvist also cut in a nice tribute to one of our very greatest.
Begin Hymn has been fighting the disease ALS for the past six months. During Thursday, the news came that the icon, one of Sweden’s most fallen hockey players of all time, is dead. Börje Salming turned 71 years old and is now mourned by the entire hockey world, and the tributes that have poured in around the world have been both beautiful and powerful.
Granqvist’s tribute
Börje Salming has been an idol ever since he took the step over to the NHL in the early 70s. His greatness also extends beyond ice hockey, and many of Sweden’s biggest sports figures, including Ingemar Stenmark, have sent their greetings, tributes and condolences. The announcement of Salming’s death came in the middle of the ongoing soccer World Cup, which was broadcast last night on TV4.
The evening match of the championship in Qatar was played between Brazil and Serbia, and the commentator was Lasse Granqvist. Earlier in the evening, Granqvist had sent out an emotional tribute to Salming on Twitter, but to finish his commentary from the World Cup match, before the broadcast returned to the studio, Granqvist threw in another tribute to Salming:
– Brazil 2, Serbia 0. We end from the main arena in Qatar saying as Börje Salming always said: “Always have fun, never give up”.
READ MORE: Börje Salming is celebrated and mourned by Sweden’s greatest – Mats Sundin’s heartbreaking words: “I’m in shock”
“The significance has been enormous”
Earlier in the evening, Granqvist had written the following on Twitter:
“‘Always have fun and never give up’.
Börje Salming’s importance to scores of players and managers has been enormous.
Swedish sports are sad.
All thoughts to the family.
May they forever feel the warmth, respect and love from Toronto and Hockey Canada and from all of Sweden.”
Even during TV4’s broadcast of the soccer World Cup, Börje Salming was honored and celebrated. National team icons Kim Källström and Mikael Lustig sat in the studio and talked about Salming’s importance.
– This is a person who has personified Sweden in such an incredible way with this primal power and it is so incredibly tragic when this terrible disease took him so quickly. It is most sad and all our thoughts go to his family, said Källström.
– He is one of our biggest. It went incredibly fast in this stupid disease. All love to his family, Mikael Lustig filled in.
READ MORE: Tokbusen Tie Domi’s powerful tribute to Börje Salming – now confirms: “He will always be the King”