Borje Salming: Hockey Legend

In this week’s NHL Digest look back at the history of hockey, there is one hockey legend who stands out as the ambassador of European players to the National hockey league.

Borje Salming was one of the first great Swedish players to make the trip from their homeland to play hockey in the NHL when he joined the toronto Maple Leafs in the 1973-74 season. He paved the way for the Swedish influx of players like Hakan Loob and Mats Naslund to make their way into the National Hockey League.

In 1996, Borje Salming was inducted into the National Hockey League Hall of Fame. Over the course of 17 seasons, Salming amassed 150 Goals and 637 Assists. More importantly, Salming gained the respect of his peers and his coaches while proving that Swedish hockey players could succeed in the NHL.

The following video highlights some of the great moments and tells the story of Salming’s career. Take a moment to watch it and marvel at the tenacity and work ethic of this week’s hockey legend.

Salming is a great hockey legend and a worthy inductee to the Hockey Hall of Fame.