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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Thursday that Hockey Hall of Famer Borje Salming passed away at the age of 71. Salming returned to Toronto earlier this month for Hall of Fame ceremonies to honor a trio of Swedes (Henrik and Daniel Sedin and Daniel Alfredsson) and for a night of recognition by the club that he played 16 of his 17 NHL seasons with.
"The Toronto Maple Leafs mourn the loss of Börje Salming. Börje was a pioneer of the game and an icon with an unbreakable spirit and unquestioned toughness. He helped open the door for Europeans in the NHL and defined himself through his play on the ice and through his contributions to the community.” Leafs team president Brendan Shanahan said in a statement. “Börje joined the Maple Leafs 50 years ago and will forever be a part of our hockey family. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Pia, his children Theresa, Anders, Rasmus, Bianca, Lisa and Sara, and brother Stieg.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman issued the following statement:
A superior all-around defenseman and the first Swedish star ever to play in the League, Borje Salming was as physically and mentally tough as he was skillfully gifted. He blazed the trail that many of the greatest players in NHL history followed while shattering all of the stereotypes about European players that had been prevalent in a League populated almost entirely by North Americans before his arrival in 1973.
“Salming owns nearly every franchise record for Maple Leafs defensemen – including, goals (148), assists (620) and points (768) – and was voted to the NHL’s First or Second postseason All-Star Teams six consecutive seasons. He was named one of the top 10 players in Leafs history in 2016. Soon after, he was selected one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the League’s Centennial celebration. In 1996, he became the first European-trained skater inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“The National Hockey League mourns the passing of Borje, a towering presence and transformational figure in the game’s history. We send our deepest condolences to his wife Pia; his children, Theresa, Anders, Rasmus, Bianca, Lisa and Sara; all who marveled at his exploits and the many NHL Players who stand on his shoulders.
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The Leafs continue their four-game road trip with an unusual Friday afternoon matinee against the Minnesota Wild. Toronto put together a gutsy effort aided by some favorable calls from the officials in a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Wednesday, but continued to lose players on the blueline, as defenseman Jordie Benn suffered an upper-body injury in the second period.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated on Thursday that Benn has been placed on injured reserve and that the expectation is he will be out week-to-week, joining Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, and TJ Brodie on the injured list. Newly acquired blueliner Conor Timmins joined the club after being acquired on Wednesday, but Victor Mete will take Benn’s place alongside Mac Hollowell on the bottom pairing.
Keefe will make one other lineup change, inserting Wayne Simmonds in place of Nick Robertson against a physical Wild squad. Calle Jarnkrok will replace Robertson on the line with John Tavares and Mitch Marner, while Simmonds will take Jarnkrok’s spot on the checking line with Alex Kerfoot and Pierre Engvall.
Matt Murray, who made 34 saves in the victory over the Devils, will get the start, which likely means that Erik Kallgren will be in goal for Toronto against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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