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Reuters
Reuters
Health

Hockey great Salming succumbed unusually quick to ALS, doctor says

FILE PHOTO: Dec 31, 2016; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tiger Williams (22) (far left) and forward Rick Vaive (22) and defenseman Borje Salming (21) before the start of their game against the Detroit Red Wings during the 2017 Rogers NHL Centennial Classic Alumni Game at BMO Field. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Maple Leafs great Borje Salming, who passed away on Thursday from nervous disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), succumbed unusually quickly to the disease less than four months after diagnosis, his doctor told Swedish broadcaster SVT.

Salming died at the age of 71 and became the first Swedish player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He announced in August that he had been diagnosed with ALS.

"We set the diagnose this summer, so it's only been four months. It was unusually fast," Caroline Ingre, an ALS researcher at Karolinska Institutet and Salming's doctor told SVT.

FILE PHOTO: Nov 11, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs former Borje Salming is overcome by emotion on the ice during the pregame Hall of Fame Game ceremonies against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Despite his battle with ALS, Salming travelled to Toronto two weeks ago and was honoured with emotional tributes ahead of two games, including an entirely Swedish Maple Leafs starting lineup for the first time in the storied franchise's history.

Ingre said Salming's openness with his struggles with ALS had raised awareness and that it had already benefited others.

"More patients have contacted us and wished to participate in our drug studies, which is fantastic. So he has already contributed to several people's treatment," she said.

Salming's NHL career began in 1973 when he signed as a free agent with the Maple Leafs, where he spent 16 seasons before playing one season with the Detroit Red Wings.

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Josie Kao)

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