In Brynäs, Börje Salming got to play with his brother Stig – and also win two SM golds.
On Saturday, Salming, who died of complications from the nerve disease als in November, was honored with a star-studded veteran match between Tre Kronor and the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Mats Sundin among others in the team. In the Toronto team, Börje Salming’s longtime friend and teammate Darryl Sittler was the coach.
The “Game of Börje”, as Saturday’s match was named, is sold out and all proceeds go directly to Salming’s foundation, which contributes to finding a curative treatment for als.
Nicklas Lidström and Mats Sundin on site in Gävle to honor Börje Salming.
How much money is involved remains to be seen, but by all accounts it will be a substantial sum.
— It feels stressful at the moment. We see the influx in the stands and everything goes in Börje’s name. That is as honorable as it can ever be. I look forward to having a nice experience where we remember Börje in the best way, says Stig Salming to Aftonbladet.
Just in time for the start of the match, Börje Salming’s shirt number 17 was hoisted up next to Stig’s, whose number 14 is already hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s honorable for Börje, now he didn’t get to experience it himself, but we have to hope that the gods are there to tell the story,” says Stig Salming in TV4.