PHOTO: Bildbyrån
All of Toronto is waiting for their favorite Swede Börje Salming.
Then the Maple Leafs reveal their beautiful support for their former great player.
– We have helped where we have been able to, club president Brendan Shanahan admits to SportExpressen.
If everything goes as it should Börje Salming to return to the old hometown of Toronto again. The plan is for the Swedish hockey icon to be reunited with old friends and teammates during this weekend’s ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Start to Toronto
The Swedish NHL greats Daniel Alfredsson, Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin will be elected to the Hall of Fame and the plan is for Börje to be there for the festivities in Toronto, health permitting.
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There are also plans for proper tributes to the 71-year-old, both from the Hall of Fame organization and former club the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Swedish hockey icon played a full 16 seasons and over 1,000 games for the NHL team and to this day he is hailed as a king in the hockey-crazy city.
READ MORE: This is how Börje Salming will receive the most powerful tribute in Toronto – the icons now reveal the secret plans
“Hero for me”
But the news that Salming had suffered from the terrible nerve disease ALS was received with great shock in the NHL team.
– It was shocking news for all of us here. For so many years, Börje has been the image of someone who was lucky enough to be healthy himself, as well, says the club president Brendan Shanahan to SportExpressen.
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The old great player Shanahan never represented the Maple Leafs as a player but grew up in the Toronto area and remembers Salming with warmth from his childhood as a little hockey kid.
– He was a hero to me when I was growing up. And now that I’m lucky enough to have this role, I’ve gotten to know several of these heroes on a more personal level. And Börje, he fulfills all the expectations and hopes you can have, says Shanahan in the interview.
READ MORE: The Salming family’s fine tribute to Swedish healthcare – after the new news about Börje: “They are fantastic”
NHL team support
The Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing to pay tribute to Börje Salming this weekend in connection with the team’s two home games in the NHL. But it is entirely up to Börje himself if he can handle the attention and the club has close contact with the Salming family.
The club president also reveals that the NHL organization has helped his favorite Swede as much as possible during this tough time.
– I don’t want to go into too many details about it, but we have helped where we could. And what I can say is that there is no shortage of people who want to come in and help, says Shanahan to the evening newspaper.