Tribute Leaf Great Borje Salming diagnosed with Lou Gehrig' disease

[tmlms13]

This reply here is the worst… how embarrassing to see this trash on Salming’s thread.

Wut? I think you misinterpreted what I said

And same with all the other people trashing me here.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Wut? I think you misinterpreted what I said

And same with all the other people trashing me here.

'Highjacking' is a very negative term.

Perhaps you can explain what you meant.

 

[fancy lad]

I grew up with the 80s Leafs and guys like Salming were heroes to me back then. It so heart breaking to see what a disease like ALS does to the body. One of the worst things a person can go through... on a related note, a really close family friend of ours had ALS and we got to see first hand and pain and suffering he went through. Ultimately he chose to go the medically assisted suicide route (when he was REALLY far gone) and i couln't fault him for that choice. Seeing Borje and how moved he was friday and saturday. f*** man... that's tough to watch. But also so powerful to see how important the Leafs were to that man and how important he was to the Leafs.

 

[57special]

You are so very correct!

The two best defensemen for the Leafs in my lifetime: Borje Salming and Tim Horton. One had 4 rings, the other none, but I'd be hard pressed to say one was better than the other. Perhaps his greatest legacy is that Salming ushered in the changing world of hockey. He was the first 'star' player to cross over to the NHL. He did it against the chauvinism of the time, he stood tall against the derogatory comments, the intentional viciousness, the desires to see him fail, and he did it by displaying: courage, skill, and a commitment to a team that had the worst ownership in the league.

We were lucky to have him wear our crest. Thanks Borje, you're the King.

I was lucky enough to see them both play, and I agree, they both were great. Borje was probably the more talented, but he played in an era where the shackles had been taken off Dmen.

 

[Tak7]

I grew up with the 80s Leafs and guys like Salming were heroes to me back then. It so heart breaking to see what a disease like ALS does to the body. One of the worst things a person can go through... on a related note, a really close family friend of ours had ALS and we got to see first hand and pain and suffering he went through. Ultimately he chose to go the medically assisted suicide route (when he was REALLY far gone) and i couln't fault him for that choice. Seeing Borje and how moved he was friday and saturday. f*** man... that's tough to watch. But also so powerful to see how important the Leafs were to that man and how important he was to the Leafs.

Was at the game on Saturday, and I felt very envious of the people who got to see him play. On Friday & Saturday, you could feel the weight of his connection to this fanbase.

What felt surreal & most devastating to me personally, was that Saturday wasn't just a tribute to him, but a final salute. A chance to say goodbye..

 

[notDatsyuk]

I was lucky enough to see them both play, and I agree, they both were great. Borje was probably the more talented, but he played in an era where the shackles had been taken off Dmen.

I watched them both as well.

I think if it weren't for the xenophobia promoted by a lot of people (Ballard and Cherry among the worst), he would have ranked a lot higher in Norris voting. (He was still in the top five seven years in a row).