Börje Salming was really a fool.
But in the most positive way.
He showed this during a playoff match – when he was forced to sew his face, but returned and shocked his teammates.
It was not entirely easy for Börje Salming when he came to North America from Brynäs. He was admittedly a hugely skilled player, he had shown that both in the Swedish league and in Tre Kronor, but there had hardly been any Swedes before him in the NHL, and many were skeptical.
Loved by the fans
Many might have expected that he would not be able to cope with the physical game, and that he would be sent home relatively quickly. But Börje Salming was not like everyone else. It was not long before he was respected by both teammates and fans.
Salming really got instant love from the hockey-crazy fans in Toronto, and there were plenty of reasons for that. He always played with a huge fighting spirit and it was not often that he gave in. And it really rarely mattered what happened on the ice. He just kept driving – and there was nothing that could stop him from continuing to help his team win.
Made it inconceivable
When the Swedish newspaper Lektyr visited Salming in the early 80’s, an example of this was highlighted. During a playoff game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Salming is said to have covered a shot with his face (!), And he was forced to go out to the bench bloody to sew. Five minutes later he was back on the ice, wearing a bloody shirt, and the first thing he did? He threw himself down to cover a shot.
A few changes later, he also scored, and that was when the Toronto fans realized that it was something really, really special that they had in the squad.
– Then he showed one against me I had never seen before on a rink, a supporter told the newspaper.
– Since then, no one has called Börje Salming a coward, he continued.
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