Maple Leafs legend Börje Salming no longer able to speak as result of ALS
Posted October 18, 2022 6:02 pm.
Last Updated October 18, 2022 6:22 pm.
Börje Salming, the greatest defenceman in Toronto Maple Leafs history, can no longer speak due to ALS, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Swedish national newspaper Expressen first reported on Salming’s condition, noting that the 71-year-old now uses an iPad to speak with family members and friends.
Video shared online of Salming shows the former defenceman giving a thumbs up when informed that fans across the globe were offering their support.
So sad to see that Börje Salming is suffering from ALS, one of my first true hero, truly sadness me, I hope science will come upp with a cure, my deepest and honest wishes of a recovery to a spectacular man Björn Salming ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4FNlEOgsBF
— Peter (@peterforslin) October 17, 2022
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
Salming announced his ALS diagnosis in August, saying that “in an instant, everything changed.”
ALS is a progressive nervous system disease that leads to paralysis, the inability to swallow, respiratory failure and finally death, usually within two to five years from the onset of symptoms.
“… I understand that there will be challenges greater than anything I have ever faced,” Salming said in that first statement. “I also recognize that there is no cure, but numerous worldwide trials are going on, and there will be a cure one day.”
The 71-year-old continues to receive treatment in his native Sweden, where more than 800 patients live with ALS. The ALS Society of Canada estimates that 3,000 Canadians live with the disease.
Salming played 16 seasons with the Maple Leafs (1973-1989) and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996.
He appeared in 1,099 games with the Leafs and ranks fourth among the team’s career-scoring leaders with 768 points.
