Salming and Hammarström stood on principle

Icon. Trailblazer. Mentor. How Börje Salming changed hockey for the better, Nov. 24

The Star’s tributes to Börje Salming are well-deserved on the bases of both his talent and his courage and endurance.

However, what’s fair to claim is if Salming contributed to changing hockey by being an inspiration for the European player to come to North America, then in accepting the violent style of play here he also allowed North American hockey to change him.

Both he and his contemporary from Sweden, Inge Hammarström, stood tall for principle in different ways: the latter player eventually returning to Sweden out of disaffection for what was his experience here. That took a bout of courage that was different from Salming’s. B. Ramsay, Toronto