It was an emotional night in Toronto as former Maple Leafs star Börje Salming received a huge ovation during Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at Scotiabank Arena.
As fellow Leafs legend Darryl Sittler embraced Salming, tears flowed down Sittler’s face.
Sittler helped Salming raise his arm so he could acknowledge the cheers. On Salming’s other side was another former Leafs star from Sweden — Mats Sundin.
For many Swedish hockey players, Börje Salming’s influence is unmatched, even for those who never got a chance to watch the former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman lace up the skates.
As the NHL Hall of Famer goes through his battle with ALS, he has drawn support from across the hockey world and this weekend fans will get to chance to show Salming that support in person after he made the trip from Sweden to celebrate Hall of Fame induction weekend.
“He’s an icon,” current Maple Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin, a fellow Swede, told reporters on Friday. “It’s tough, he’s going through a really big fight right now. We’re all standing behind him, everyone supports him and it’s, it’s great to have him in Toronto right now.”
Salming and his family recently opened up to the Swedish newspaper Expressen about his struggles with ALS. The illness has taken away his ability to speak, and it’s now difficult for him to eat normally so he needs to use a feeding tube for nutrition.
Despite the challenges presented to him by ALS, Salming made the trip to Toronto for the Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony which will honour three of his fellow countrymen in Daniel and Henrik Sedin as well as Daniel Alfredsson.
The Leafs legend is slated to make an appearance at both of the team’s games on Friday and Saturday. It’s a moment the team expects to be emotional given Salming’s connection to the fanbase.
“It’s very clear to me that he’s a proud Maple Leaf,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “I was young through a lot of his career and a lot of it before I was even born but you still feel his impact, even more so now in my current role.”
Salming has made it a point to be a mentor to many of the young Swedes who came after him in Toronto including former captain Mats Sundin and now Sandin, who was drafted by the team in 2018.
The 22-year-old recalls getting an invitation for lunch from Salming not long after he was drafted and it was a moment he will remember forever.
Of all the advice Salming gave him, one thing stuck out to Sandin.
“He said, look out for Toronto media,” the young defenceman said with a smile.