Borje Salming in Erik Karlsson’s Thoughts

Maybe there’s no Erik Karlsson without Borje Salming?

These days, nobody bats an eye when a great defenseman emerges from Europe.

The San Jose Sharks star, the most recent multi-winner of the Norris Trophy, is one of many Hall of Fame-worthy blueliners to come from Europe over the last three decades, along with Victor Hedman, Zdeno Chara, and Nicklas Lidstrom, to name a few.

The #Sens and owner @MelnykEugene visited the Canadian Embassy in Sweden earlier today. #NHLGlobalSeries pic.twitter.com/Jo7VdtMbgF

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 7, 2017

Swede Salming, however, was the first European-trained Hall of Fame NHL’er. The Jukkasjärvi native, in the early 1970s, paved the way for Karlsson and company.

In 1970 — three years before Borje Salming’s NHL debut — NHL’ers rarely grew up and trained in Europe before crossing over to North America. At the start of that decade, Ulf Sterner and Jaroslav Jiřík were the only two to have done it.

Salming was an instant sensation, and by his second season, the Toronto Maple Leafs star was already a second-team NHL All-Star. But that didn’t stop taunts from xenophobic players and fans of “Chicken Swede.”

Even though Karlsson never saw Salming play live, he appreciates everything Salming went through: “We still knew what he did, what he contributed to the rest of us to be able to go and play overseas.”

From 1975 to 1981, Salming accumulated 421 points, second only to Denis Potvin’s 490 points among all NHL defensemen. He was also the first European-trained NHL’er to log 1,000 regular season games. In the process, “King” changed perceptions that Swedes weren’t tough enough for the NHL.

Karlsson paid tribute: “He’s someone that I think impacted a lot of, especially Swedish players, over the years.”

In addition to his 1996 Hall of Fame induction, Salming’s No. 21 has been retired by the Maple Leafs.

“I’ve been very fortunate, to have met him many times, to have had many discussions with him,” Karlsson said. “He’s a great man.”

Unfortunately, Borje Salming’s health has been declining.

Salming was diagnosed in July with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a neurological disorder that slowly weakens one’s muscles and can lead to deformity. This past week, Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that the 71-year-old is no longer able to speak.

Börje Salming says "I'm thinking of you" to his fans, using his iPad. pic.twitter.com/PiIWndUFnV

— Andreas III Johnsson (@Johnssonen) October 17, 2022

From one special Swedish defenseman to another, Karlsson offered, “It’s sad to see what he’s going through right now. You just hope that him and his family are doing as best as they possibly can.”