Börje Salming

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Position Defenseman
Shoots Left
Nickname BJ
Height
Weight		 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
Pro Clubs Brynäs IF
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
AIK
Nationality Flag of Sweden 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.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

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 career back in Sweden playing for AIK from 1990-93[2].

Salming 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.

Most likely his biggest moment came at the 1976 Coca Cola U32 Cup in his home arena (Maple Leaf Gardens), when Team Sweden was playing against Team Canada, he got a standing ovation for over 5 minutes at the player introduction, longer than any of the Canadian players[4]. Salming 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 & crack many times before at parties. 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 1979 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

  1. ^ a b Patrick Houda. Most Popular Player in 1976 Wasn't Canadian. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Salming, Borje - Statistics, Awards & Career. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
  3. ^ Borje Salming's profile at hockeydb.com. hockeyDB.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
  4. ^ Induction Showcase - Borje Salming. Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.
  5. ^ Lance Hornby. Salming reaches new heights. TorontoSun.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2006.

[edit] Web sites

[edit] External links

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