Toronto. Can an experience break one’s heart because it is so horrific – and at the same time make one cry because it is so beautiful?
Anyway, that was the kind of conflicting emotion we had when Börje Salming, along with his friends Mats Sunden and Daryl Setler, received Toronto’s love and support last night.
We were ready. We knew that a patient with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Puree Salming He traveled heroically to Toronto for this weekend’s Hall of Fame celebrations and was scheduled to take to the ice for his second hometown celebration ahead of tonight’s game between the Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Scotiabank Arena.
and after:
When he stood there on the red line, arm-in-arm by Mats Sunden and old teammate Daryl Settler, and cried, our hearts broke.
I can’t imagine the shock
Friends at his side, current home runway players, spectators in crowded bleacher sections, supposedly tough-skinned skeptics in the press box…we were all reduced to helpless wet spots.
Because no matter how much you know about what this demonic disease does to people, you can’t prepare for the shock of seeing a superhero like Börje so special, carried away. We thought it, if anyone, was made of granite. Indestructible. And now this. can not stand.
touching love
At the same time, the moment touched the essence, because it was also very beautiful. how beautiful he is. Just the fact that the 71-year-old icon is able to do this at all is unbelievable. As seen in photos on social media, he was often in a wheelchair while visiting the Canadian cosmopolitan capital, but when he met his old friends and fans on the Scotiabank icy, he wanted to stand on his own two feet – true to his legendary personality and willpower in just about any situation.
However, what was most moving was the love that flowed towards him on a cold, rainy Toronto evening. It looked, and felt, the same way as that memorable time in the Canada Cup 46 years ago, when the loudest and most dedicated applause was received for the Swedish athlete in a foreign country.
Next night may be more difficult. The celebration before the Pittsburgh game was after all part of the Hall Of Fame fender and more greats – eg newly elected Nationals Daniel Sedan and Daniel Alfredson – shared the spotlight. Before the first touchdown against the Vancouver Canucks, the Maple Leafs – Börje gave everything for him, then some during sixteen glorious seasons – want to thank their champion on their own, so if he’s able and willing, he’ll be alone with his family on the ice.
Do not miss it.
It’s hard to see, exactly, but like I said – it’s very, very beautiful too.