PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Börje Salming will forever be a great inspiration.
Now Tre Kronor is doing its utmost to pay tribute to the late icon.
– It means a lot to us, says national team defender Jonathan Pudas to Sportbladet.
Tre Kronor is in the middle of the hockey World Cup and has had a perfect start to the championship with two victories and zero goals conceded so far. Now the Swedish national team reveals a secret from inside the dressing room that really warms our hearts.
Tributes Salming
Because one of the walls is adorned with a large picture of the legendary Börje Salming. The hockey hero passed away in the suites of ALS on November 24, 2022 and with the picture the national team wants to pay tribute to one of our biggest Swedish sports icons ever and inspire the players to accomplish great deeds on the ice.
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The picture of Salming is placed so that all blue-yellow players see him on the way out to the rink inside Nokia Arena in Tampere. The late Börje is a true role model for hockey players when it comes to giving everything on the ice and playing sacrificially for the good of the team.
– We have Börje Salming and Mats Sundin with the Olympic gold in the dressing room. Börje Salming sits in a special place inside the dressing room so everyone can see him. It feels like a very nice thing, says the WC defender Jonathan Pudas for Sportbladet.
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Won Börje’s prize
30-year-old Pudas also received the prestigious Salming Trophy award this SHL season. It was extremely emotional to receive the award after Börje Salming’s passing.
– The award was fun and means a lot to me, it was very emotional to receive that award. It was also emotional to see how quickly things went for him last fall. It was tough for the whole hockey family and all of hockey Sweden when it happened. You got to experience how great he really was, says Pudas in the interview.
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In connection with the award ceremony, big brother told Stig Salming why Jonathan Pudas was the rightful winner of Börje’s own prize.
“I am convinced that Börje, from his place in heaven, wants to continue to pay tribute to the season’s best back. And the choice of Jonathan Pudas feels just right. He is also from Kiruna, just like Börje, and has played in Brynäs, just like Börje,” said Stig to the Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s website.
– I have met Börje Salming in Kiruna, but it was a long time ago. I wish I had done it more times. I have run into Stig Salming more during my time in Brynäs and Gävle, says Pudas to the evening newspaper.
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Tonight awaits the toughest possible opposition for Tre Kronor, who are pitted against the reigning champion team and host country Finland in yet another neighborly feud with their worst rival. Inspired by Börje Salming, Sweden will step out onto the ice with the goal of winning the third straight hockey World Cup.
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