1978-79 O-Pee-Chee 240 Borje Salming Hockey Card (Front)
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee 240 Borje Salming Hockey Card (Back)
1978-79 O-Pee-Chee NHL Checklist
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Card Notes
A pivotal player in the Maple Leafs’ future, Borje is perhaps the finest defenseman in the NHL. One of the 1st Europeans to gain stardom in the league.
En Français
Borje figure de façon importante dans l’avenir des Maple Leafs, car il est l’un des meilleurs défenseurs dans la LNH. Un des premiers Européens à acquérir le statut de vedette dans la ligue.
Details
When this 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee hockey card came, Borje Salming was at the pinnacle of his NHL career. Although never a Norris Trophy winner, he was often in the top five for voting. In 1977-78, he finished fourth, a single vote behind third place Larry Robinson but with nearly half the votes as winner Denis Potvin. Brad Park of the Boston Bruins finished second in a close battle with Potvin.
In 1978-79, Salming continued to put up great offensive numbers for the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 17 goals and totaling 73 points. This time, he was third for the Norris behind Potvin and Robinson. He also got some consideration for the Hart Trophy, finishing tied for seventh with Denis Herron and Mike Bossy. On two other occasions over his career, Borje was runner-up.
Salming was a First Team All-Star once and a Second Team defenseman five times, including a stretch of three consecutive seasons from 1977-78 to 1979-80. Interestingly, he played in just three NHL All-Star games over his career.
Between 1973-74 and 1989-90, Borje Salming played in 1,148 regular season and 81 playoff games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings. He joined the Wings in 1989-90 for the final 49 games of his career. Salming was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and had his number 21 retired by the Maple Leafs in 2016.