Börje Salming
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Defenseman |
| Shoots | Left |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 209 lb (95 kg) |
| NHL Team F. Teams |
Retired Toronto Maple Leafs Detroit Red Wings |
| Nationality |  Sweden |
| Born | April 17, 1951, Jukkasjärvi, SWE |
| Pro Career | 1970 – 1993 |
Anders Börje Salming (born April 17, 1951 in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden) was a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman. He played for Kiruna AIF, Brynäs IF, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and AIK IF.
Known best for his years as a Leaf, Salming was one of the best defensemen of his era. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. He is also important to the history of the NHL in that he was among the first European-born hockey players to have success in the NHL. As such, he was somewhat of a pioneer that has benefitted hockey fans who have since been able to enjoy the talents of other European stars.
After the end of his active hockey career, Salming moved into the sports underwear business with his own brand Salming Underwear.
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[edit] Playing career
Börje Salming started playing 1967-1970 in the Swedish team Kiruna AIF in division 2. He then joined Brynäs playing in the top division 1970-73, winning the league 71 and 72. He was signed as a free agent by Gerry McNamara of Toronto on May 12, 1973[1] and played 16 seasons for them. He played for Detroit Red Wings in 1989-90, and finished his professional hockey carer back in Sweden playing for AIK from 1990-93[2].
Börje became an immediate success in Toronto and was voted as the first star in his first NHL game[2]. In the first season he scored 39 points as a rookie defenseman and became Toronto's rookie of the year and the 3rd best rookie in the NHL. He was the first Europeean player to make an impact in the NHL and made way for future players.
He played 1148 regular games, 81 playoff games and scored 637 assists and 150 goals[3] in the NHL.
His maybe biggest moment was in the 1976 Canada Cup in his home arena when Sweden was playing against Canada, he got a standing ovation for over 5 minutes at the player introduction, longer than any of the Canadian players[4]. Börje later commented "I'll never forget our game in Toronto. The fans gave me a standing ovation during the introductions. I was representing my country and Canadian fans gave me a standing ovation. Sometimes hockey has no country."[1]
In 1996 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as the first Swedish hockey player. In 1998, he was ranked number 74 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players, the highest-ranked Swedish player and second-ranked among Scandinavians behind Jari Kurri.
On October 4, 2006, Salming's no. 21, along with Red Kelly's no. 4, was honoured and raised to the top of the Air Canada Centre by the Leafs in a ceremony before their first game of the 2006-07 season.[5]
[edit] Suspension
On September 4, 1986, Salming was suspended by the NHL for the entire 1986-87 season for admitting in a newspaper interview that he had tried cocaine six years before at a party. The ban proved to be largely a publicity stunt by the NHL, as Salming served just eight games of the suspension before being reinstated.
[edit] Awards
- Bronze medal at the World Championships in 1972.
- Silver medal at the World Championships in 1973.
- Named to the All-Star Team at the World Championships in 1973.
- Named to the Swedish All-Star Team in 1973 and 1989.
- Named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 1975, 1976, 1978 and 1980.
- Awarded the Viking Award (Best Swede in NHL) in 1976, 1977 and 1979.
- Named to the Canada Cup All-Star Team in 1976.
- Played in the NHL All-Star Game in 1976, 1977 and 1978.
- Named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 1977.
[edit] Records
- Elitserien's most penalized player of season 1991-92
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1970-71 | Brynäs IF | Swe-1 | 27 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 24 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1971-72 | Brynäs IF | Swe-1 | NA | 1 | 5 | 6 | 40 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1972-73 | Brynäs IF | Swe-1 | 26 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 34 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1973-74 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 5 | 34 | 39 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1974-75 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1975-76 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 70 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 9 | ||
| 1976-77 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 12 | 66 | 78 | 46 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 1977-78 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 16 | 60 | 76 | 70 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1978-79 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 17 | 56 | 73 | 76 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 1979-80 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 74 | 19 | 52 | 71 | 94 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1980-81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 72 | 5 | 61 | 66 | 154 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1981-82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 12 | 44 | 56 | 170 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1982-83 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 104 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 1983-84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 68 | 5 | 38 | 43 | 192 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1984-85 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 6 | 33 | 39 | 176 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1985-86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 41 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 14 | ||
| 1986-87 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 56 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 42 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | ||
| 1987-88 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 2 | 24 | 26 | 82 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 1988-89 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 63 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 86 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1989-90 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 52 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990-91 | AIK IF | Elit | 36 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 46 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1991-92 | AIK IF | Elit | 38 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 100 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1992-93 | AIK IF | Elit | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 17 seasons | Career Totals | NHL | 1148 | 150 | 637 | 787 | 1344 | 81 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 91 | ||
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Patrick Houda. Most Popular Player in 1976 Wasn't Canadian. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
- ^ a b Salming, Borje - Statistics, Awards & Career. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
- ^ Borje Salming's profile at hockeydb.com. hockeyDB.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
- ^ Induction Showcase - Borje Salming. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
- ^ Lance Hornby. Salming reaches new heights. TorontoSun.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
