I was never a huge fan of Borje Salming, growing up. I was just a kid when he played and I may have had outside influences on my opinion. However, I thought he was a whiner that brought diving/embellishment to the National Hockey League from a far off land.
But, the numbers and accolades speak loudly and, I guess, it wasn’t Salming’s fault that he was pulled out of the Swedish Arctic to play for Harold Ballard and his three ring circus in Toronto.
If Borje deserves a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame, he deserves a spot here at VHCR!
Borje Salming – NHL
Salming was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs in May, 1973, along with fellow Swede Inge Hammarstrom. In fact, it was Hammarstrom the Leafs were chasing and they found Borje by chance.
At the time, Salming was playing for his hometown club in Kiruna, Sweden. This is the northernmost town in Sweden, 145km or 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle. To put this into perspective for North Americans, Whitehorse and Yellowknife are NOT above the Arctic Circle. The town has about 20,000 inhabitants today and is near where Sweden, Finland and Norway all meet.
Borje played in the NHL from 1973-74 to 1989-90, nearly exclusively with the Maple Leafs. He signed with the Detroit Red Wings for his final season and played just 49 games with that club in 1989-90. Over his career, the defenseman scored 150 goals and assisted on 637 more for 787 points over 1,148 regular season games. In 81 Stanley Cup playoff games, he added 49 points.
His 768 points in a Toronto jersey rank him fourth all-time on the team and first among defensemen. His 148 goals and 620 assists are also all-time highs for Maple Leafs blue liners.
Perhaps his best season, in 1976-77, Salming tied for third in the NHL with Larry Robinson of the Montreal Canadiens and Tim Young of the Minnesota North Stars with 66 assists. The trio fell not far behind leader Guy Lafleur and number two man Marcel Dionne. The 66 assists remains a single season Toronto Maple Leafs record for defensemen. That year, Borje was selected as a First Team All-Star for the only time in his career.
Borje Salming Collection:
The following year, his 60 assists placed him eighth in the league. His setup numbers the were often high but it would be the last time he would crack the NHL’s top ten.
Along with being named a Second Team All-Star five times, Borje was a three time winner of the Viking Award. In fact, he was the winner in the first two years of that trophy’s existence, 1975-76 and 1976-77. The Viking Award is handed out each season to the top player in the NHL who came from Sweden. The award is voted on by all Swedish hockey players playing pro hockey in North America.
After leaving the NHL, Salming continued on for three more years with AIK in Sweden’s elite league. In 1996, Borje was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was the only living player to enter the HHOF that year. Bobby Bauer was also inducted, posthumously.
Borje Salming – Swedish National Team
Salming played at the IIHF World Championships for Sweden on three occasions, two before he came to the NHL. In 1972, Sweden won bronze, behind Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union in Prague.
At the 1973 Worlds held in Moscow, Salming was outstanding with ten points in ten games. Sweden captured silver, behind the Soviet Union and ahead of Czechoslovakia. Borje was named an all-star defenseman.
He returned to the Worlds in 1989 when his home country hosted the tournament. The bulk of the games were played in Stockholm and Sweden was denied a medal, finishing fourth.
At the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France, Salming played for his country for the last time. He posted seven points in eight games but Sweden fell short, finishing in fifth.
Over his career, Salming also played in three Canada Cups. In 1998, Borje was inducted into the newly formed IIHF Hall of Fame. He was among a number of inductees in just the second year of the Hall’s existence.
In 2008, the IIHF announced their Centennial All-Star Team. Salming was alongside Viacheslav Fetisov on the point while Wayne Gretzky centred Valeri Kharlamov and Sergei Makarov. The great Vladislav Tretiak was in goal.
Borje Salming – Rookie Card
The Borje Salming rookie card appears as number 180 in both the 1974-75 O-Pee-Chee and 1974-75 Topps sets. Of course, he is shown as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This card is one of the most valuable in the rookie rich set.
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1973-74 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 5 | 34 | 39 | 48 |
| 1974-75 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 34 |
| 1975-76 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 16 | 41 | 57 | 70 |
| 1976-77 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 12 | 66 | 78 | 46 |
| 1977-78 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 16 | 60 | 76 | 70 |
| 1978-79 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 78 | 17 | 56 | 73 | 76 |
| 1979-80 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 74 | 19 | 52 | 71 | 94 |
| 1980-81 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 72 | 5 | 61 | 66 | 154 |
| 1981-82 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 12 | 44 | 56 | 170 |
| 1982-83 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 69 | 7 | 38 | 45 | 104 |
| 1983-84 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 68 | 5 | 38 | 43 | 92 |
| 1984-85 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 73 | 6 | 33 | 39 | 76 |
| 1985-86 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 41 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 48 |
| 1986-87 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 56 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 42 |
| 1987-88 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 66 | 2 | 24 | 26 | 82 |
| 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 | SEL | 36 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 46 |
| 1991-92 | AIK | SEL | 38 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 100 |
| 1992-93 | AIK | SEL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| NHL Totals | 1148 | 150 | 637 | 787 | 1344 |