Fans in AWE of Erik Kallgren’s latest mask design as goalie carries Borje Salming’s LEGACY

Toronto Maple Leafs’ goalie Erik Kallgren with the help of Dave Gunnarsson of DaveArt, designed his new mask. His new design pays tribute to the legendary Borje Salming whose passing away is still mourned by the whole NHL community, especially the Leafs’ family. Salming who died late last month passed away due to complications from ALS.

He played 16 out of 25 NHL seasons with the Leafs the rest being divided by Brynas IF, Detroit Red Wings, and AIK Hockey. Salming’s jersey number was retired by the Leafs in 2016. Though a legend has passed away, his legacy has been kept alive on the ice by the joint efforts of the National Hockey League and its players. 

The Toronto Marlies unveiled the new look of the mask on social media accounts, both Instagram and Twitter. The mask consists of four different images of Salming. Erik had a chance to meet Salming during the last month’s Hall of Fame event. The trailblazing legend shortly passed over after his failed battle with ALS.

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Leafs honor Borje Salming after his death

Erik played with the Leafs while Ilya Samsonov was placed on IL, scoring 3-2-4 in 10 games with the team. He is now back with the Marlies after Samsonov was rendered activated from the reserve. He became the 4th Leafs’ goalie to record a shutout in his NHL debut. 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman commented on Salming’s death, “blazed the trail that many of the greatest players in N.H.L. history followed while shattering all of the stereotypes about European players that had been prevalent in a league populated almost entirely by North Americans before his arrival in 1973,” according to Nytimes.com.

In 1,099 regular-season games for Toronto, Salming set a franchise record with 620 assists, 148 goals, 768 points, and 49 Stanley Cup Playoff points. He was the first Swedish player to get inducted into HOF. Salming stated, “When they called me I was actually crying. We showed Canadiens we could play hockey”.

To date, his No. 21 jersey can be seen hanging in the rafters at Scotiabank Arena. After the legendary defenceman passed away, Leafs’ players wore a jersey featuring “BORJE” in yellow letters, with a yellow crown, across a blue maple leaf. The crown portrayed Salming’s image of “The King”. Just like Erik, the Leafs’ players will carry on his spirit in the game of NHL.

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