Borje Salming

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the NHL, for which he is often considered a trailblazer. He was named to six consecutive NHL All-Star Teams and won the NHL All-Star Games of 1976, 1977 and 1978. In 1996, his first year of eligibility, Salming became the first European born and trained player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, the NHL named him one of the 100 Greatest Players. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1998 and named to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team in 2008.

In Their Own Story

On September 4, 1986, Salming faced suspension after quoting himself in a Toronto newspaper saying he used cocaine "five, six years ago, but not since." The league initially suspended him for the entire season before commuting it to eight games. Just months later, on November 26, 1986, during a game between the Leafs and Red Wings in Detroit, Salming was knocked down near his own net. Gerard Gallant of the Red Wings accidentally sliced Salming's face with his skate blade, an injury that required over 200 stitches for facial cosmetic surgery. Yet, on January 4, 1988, he reached another historic milestone: becoming the first European born and trained player to play 1,000 career NHL games. Two weeks later, during a pre-game ceremony inspired by Bill Barber's tribute from Philadelphia, his parents and Inge Hammarström drove a car onto the ice for his 1,011th game. Throughout these trials, Salming remained a constant force, playing 16 seasons with Toronto before signing with Detroit in 1989.

Reader's Guide

Salming was born on 17 April 1951 in the village of Salmi in what is now Kiruna Municipality. He identified as indigenous Sámi and was included in the electoral roll for Sametinget. He played with Kiruna AIF from 1967 to 1970, then Brynäs IF from 1970 to 1973, winning league championships in 1971 and 1972. The Maple Leafs signed him as a free agent on 12 May 1973. He made his NHL debut in the 1973–74 season. He played 1148 regular season games (1099 with the Leafs) and 81 playoff games, scoring 150 goals and 637 assists. After leaving the NHL, he completed his pro career with AIK. He was diagnosed with ALS in July 2022 and died on 24 November 2022.

Did You Know?

• Salming was one of the first European players to make an impact in the NHL.
• He won the NHL All-Star Games of 1976, 1977 and 1978.
• He became the first European born and trained player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
• Salming's number 21 was retired by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016.
• He was diagnosed with ALS in July 2022 and died on 24 November 2022.