TORONTO — Borje Salmingthe longtime Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, said Wednesday he has been diagnosed with ALS.
The 71-year-old said he had been encountering speech issues and been feeling lackluster recently, but was shocked to find out why, saying that he had received news “that has shaken my family and me.”
“The signs that indicated that something was wrong in my body turned out to be the disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease,” Salming said in a statement. “In an instant, everything changed.
“I do not know how the days ahead will be, but I understand that there will be challenges greater than anything I have ever faced. I also recognize that there is no cure but there are numerous worldwide trials going on and there will be a cure. one day. In the meantime, there are treatments available to slow the progression and my family and I will remain positive.
“Since I started playing ice hockey as a little kid in Kiruna [Sweden], and throughout my career, I have given it my all. And I will continue to do so.
“Right now, I rest assured that I have my loving family around me and the best possible medical care.”
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. Currently there are more than 800 patients living with ALS in Sweden, while approximately another 250 Swedes receive an ALS diagnosis each year.
“ALS is a devastating disease that not only affects the muscles but can also affect personality and cognitive functions,” said Dr. Caroline Ingre, Salming’s attending physician. “The people affected by this disease experience a progressive muscle weakness. In about 70 percent of diagnoses, the disease starts with symptoms from the spinal cord, which increasingly weakens the patient’s arms and legs, while in about 30 percent it starts around the mouth and throat, leading to slurred speech and difficulties swallowing. These patients also often have an associated emotional impact that manifests itself as uncontrollable laughter or crying.”
Dr. Ingre is the founder of the Karolinska ALS Clinical Research Center, which studies the causes, risks and spreading patterns of ALS, with the goal of identifying the disease early on to provide more effective treatment.
“With most ALS patients, breathing is affected with symptoms most often appearing first at night, while other typical signs are morning headache, daytime sleepiness and shortness of breath during the day or when lying flat on the back,” she said. “Therefore, patients are also treated at a respiratory clinic and, when breathing becomes affected, offered support administered through a face mask (non-invasive ventilation).”
Salming played 16 seasons with the Maple Leafs (1973-89) before finishing his NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings (1989-90). He had 787 points (150 goals, 637 assists) in 1,148 NHL games and was the first Swedish-born player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He leads all Maple Leafs defensemen in goals (148), assists (620) and points (768), and his 1,099 games are second to Tim Horton (1,184).
In 2014, the Maple Leafs added a statue of Salming to Legend’s Row outside Scotiabank Arena. His no. 21 was retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016, and one year later he was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players.
In March 2020 Salming was taken by ambulance from his home in Sweden to the hospital because of respiratory issues. Although he showed signs of coronavirus, he was not tested for it and was released after a day.
Salming told NHL.com shortly after his release that, “I thought I was dying, I really did.
“What I’ve just been through brings you perspective.”
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