Emotional Moment as Mats Sundin Receives the Borje Salming Courage Award

Mats Sundin was awarded the Borje Salming Courage Award, gaining the honor from his fellow former Swedish Leaf.

Sundin, the legendary Swedish center who spent 13 seasons as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, was named the recipient of the award, named after Borje Salming.

Considered one of the greatest Maple Leafs of all time, Sundin gets honored in an award named after one of Toronto's other great legends in Salming.

Mats Sundin is carrying the honor of the fellow former Leafs great, an award 'presented to a European NHL Alumni member who has been a positive influence in their community and best embodies Borje's lasting legacy of bravery, courage, and dedication both on and off the ice'.

Salming, the former Leafs defenseman and Hockey Hall of Famer, passed away in 2022 after a battle with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known more popularly as Lou Gehrig's disease after the baseball legend who died from the currently incurable illness.

Salming helped paved the way for Swedish talent in the National Hockey League.

A talented defenseman back home, Salming and Inge Hammarstrom were recruited to Toronto, paving the way for future talents from the country, including Sundin.

As a Leaf, Salming still leads all-time for defensemen in goals (148), assists (620), and points (768), while second all time in games played with 1,099.

Sundin is the third person to win the award. Hall of Fame defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, who cites Salming as a personal hero, was the inaugural winner. Finnish Hall of Fame forward Jari Kurri won in 2024.

The award ceremony for Sundin will take place on November 15th, honoring Sundin as a great in the growth of European hockey, and Salming as one of the biggest builders of hockey in Europe today.