Börje Salming

Anders Börje Salming (born April 17, 1951 in Kiruna, Sweden) is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman of Saami extraction. He played for Kiruna AIF, Brynäs IF, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings and AIK.

Known best for his years as a Leaf, Salming was one of the best defencemen of his era. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996. He was elected to the IIHF centennial All Stars team in 2008 along with Vladislav Tretiak, Viacheslav Fetisov, Sergei Makarov, Valeri Kharlamov and Wayne Gretzky.

He is also important to the history of the NHL in that he was among the first European-born hockey players to have success in the NHL. As such, he was somewhat of a pioneer that has benefitted hockey fans who have since been able to enjoy the talents of other European stars.

After the end of his active hockey career, Salming moved into the sports underwear business with his own brand Salming Underwear. In 2007, at age 56, he posed nude for acclaimed Swedish graffiti artist Johan A Wattberg to create 31 paintings that were initially exhibited in Sweden before going on permanent display at The SPORT Galleryin Toronto, Canada.