Maple Leafs legend Borje Salming dead at age 71

Borje Salming, a trailblazer for European players in the NHL and a mainstay of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line in the 1970s and ’80s, has died.

Salming, who starred for the Leafs for 16 NHL seasons, died at age 71 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

In a statement confirming Salming’s death, Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said the Swede helped open the door for Europeans in the NHL.

Toronto signed Salming as a free agent before the 1973-74 season. He went on to play 1,099 regular-season games with the Leafs, setting team records for assists (620) and goals (148), points (768) and playoff points (49) by a defenceman.

Salming spent one season with the Detroit Red Wings before retiring after the 1989-90 season.

In 1996, he became the first Swedish player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

On Nov. 11, he was in Toronto for the Maple Leafs’ Hall of Fame induction weekend game. During an emotional pre-game ceremony, Salming’s lifelong friend Darryl Sittler lifted Salming’s arm to help him wave to the crowd.

The next night, the Maple Leafs honoured Salming prior to their game against the Vancouver Canucks. He dropped the puck during a pre-game ceremony and the Leafs deployed a starting lineup comprising six Swedish players.

— With files from The Canadian Press