Hall of Fame defenceman Salming dead at 71 after battle with ALS

Hall of Fame defenceman Borje Salming, who starred for the Toronto Maple Leafs over 16 National Hockey League seasons and was a trailblazer for Europeans who later made their mark in the world’s top pro hockey league, has died at 71 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The Maple Leafs confirmed Salming’s death Thursday in a statement.

Team president Brendan Shanahan said Salming opened the door for Europeans in the NHL.

“Borje was a pioneer of the game and an icon with an unbreakable spirit and unquestioned toughness,” Shanahan said. “(Salming) defined himself through his play on the ice and through his contributions to the community.”

Toronto signed Salming as a free agent before the 1973-74 season.

The native of Kiruna, Sweden, went on to play 1,099 regular-season games with the Leafs, estab“I lishing team records for assists (620) and goals (148), points (768) and playoff points (49) by a defenceman.

A two-time runner-up for the Norris Trophy, losing both times to Montreal Canadiens great Larry Robinson, Salming was named to the NHL’s first all-star team in 197677 and the second all-star team on five occasions.

He ended his time with the Leafs with a plus-minus rating of plus-155, a statistic made more remarkable as the Maple Leafs were a vastly underperforming team for much of the 1980s.

Salming spent a 17th NHL season with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring after the 1989-90 season.

In 1996, he became the first Swedish player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was honoured as one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in 2017.

In August, Salming announced he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

do not know how the days ahead will be, but I understand that there will be challenges greater than anything I have ever faced,” Salming said at the time. “I also recognize that there is no cure but there are numerous worldwide trials going on and there will be a cure one day.”

Salming was honoured earlier this month at a pre-game ceremony for this year’s Hall of Fame inductees — which included Swedes Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Daniel Alfredsson — before a game between the Maple Leafs and the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. The former defenceman was flanked by fellow franchise icons Darryl Sittler and Mats Sundin.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, Sittler raised Salming’s arm so he could wave to the crowd.

The next night, Salming made a final appearance at centre ice before a Leafs game against the Vancouver Canucks at Scotiabank Arena.

Salming, with his family by his side, received a standing ovation as a video chronicling his career played on the scoreboard before puck drop.

Robbed of his speech and some mobility, Salming shook hands with every member of the Maple Leafs as he slowly departed the ice.

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe started an all-Swedish unit against the Canucks as part of the tribute, with Leafs winger William Nylander and Canucks defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson performing the ceremonial faceoff.

A hockey icon in Sweden, Salming represented his home country at four IIHF World Championships, three Canada Cups and the 1992 Winter Olympics.