Leifby: 14,000 sat when the gunslinger entered
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When Porgy Salming was given a standing ovation at the 1976 Canada Cup, his perpetual gunslinger stood on the sidelines waiting his turn.
Remember the gorgeous rock mountain Bjorn “Buna” Johansson from Nibiru?
Once, I missed a penalty kick at Nybro’s Victoriahallen (hitting the post and starting to laugh), but that was long before watching Nybro legends like Björn “Böna” Johansson and ke “Elgen” Elgström now hang from the ceiling of the hall.
Or rather, their shirts hang there.
“Böna” was just 14 when he made his debut for Nybro in 1964, then as a 47kg lightweight center he was bulking up and keeping up with the new kilos he had developed to become one of our best defenders of the 70s.
After the TV disc, many talented Swedish ice hockey players were selected for what would eventually become a junior national team, and it was the first time that “Böna” and Börje Salming met.
– There was a gathering in Gavle, he came from Kiruna and I from Nybro, and I was alone from Småland. It led to us playing together at the European Junior Championships in 1969, as you say “Böna” in really clear East Småland language.
– Then Billy Harris came in as captain, and we were selected for the 1972 World Cup, but Borghi played with Lars-Erik Sjöberg and I played with Tommy Abrahamsson. In the fall of 1972, Poiret and I became a duo in Back Then We Played in the Restroom Together in 1973.
In the fall of 1972, yes, it was when Canada came to Stockholm for the now-legendary Adaptation Matches in Hovet, when Swedish amateurs first felt the pressure and madness of the purebred Canadian professional.
Canada hit “Dachshund” Sjöberg’s nose and tried to scare the Swedes into submission, but Sweden bit back and Börje Salming was one of those who stood up to the Canadians.
Böna doesn’t remember it going to be particularly raw or bad.
– Well, it wasn’t that serious, and it didn’t bother me how the Canadians were doing. Someone like Stan Mikita looked like he was 90 years old.
“Böna” moved to Södertälje in the 1971-72 season, Börje moved to Toronto in 1973-74, and the next time they played for the national team was during the Canada Cup in 1976.
– We lived our lives here at home, there was, a report was written from time to time, and we all wondered how the Swedes were doing there. “How good are they?”. When we then came to Canada to play, Porgy showed me around Toronto, gave me a ride and people ran after the car when they saw it was Porgy who was driving it.
Obsessed with what comes next?
– But…we’re still not ready. Börje came out on the ice and stayed for a while and then I started thinking “what the hell is this?”. Then the audience stood up and shocked us. Everyone was touched and there were people sitting in the replacement booth booing. I stood on the edge and waited. It was an amazing moment that I will never forget.
How long has this tribute actually lasted, seemingly getting longer every year people tell about it?
– Some have claimed 4-5 minutes, I saw Peter Weinman said he lasted 2 minutes max. I can extend to three. 2-3 minutes.
And what happened when the announcer called BJOOOOORN DJJOHÄÄANSEN!?
– Then 14,000 people sat down again.
Those with a good memory will surely remember how, just a few minutes into the match, “Böna” laid out a beautiful sandwich to Börje Salming who, after an accidental turn and pass to “Böna” on the left in the attacking zone, could take a beautiful arc and meet the puck Perfectly and beat Sweden 1-0 with a shot.
– When we met Canada in Toronto, you thought it couldn’t be the same now, but we stood again. Canada sent the world famous Bobby Orr and tried to break Porgy’s ovation, but Porgy defeated him too. They tried everything, Potvin, Sittler, MacDonald, it didn’t work and that says something about how popular he is there.
However, Canada won the match 4-0.
“Böna”, living in Nybro again, followed Börje Salming’s final days with a heavy heart, he wept regarding the honors in Toronto and Stockholm and thought often of what he was like a teammate and friend.
– We had chemistry on the ice, found each other perfectly and knew where we wanted the passes, we had an easy time playing with each other. Then he sacrificed himself the whole time and stopped a lot of pucks. He was tough as a rock but also a really nice guy.
“Böna”, Börje, Börje and “Böna”.
Swedish ice hockey slurry is of the best quality in Småland and Norrbothnia.