"His English," Ian Turnbull was saying with a laugh, "was way better than he let on. He played that card every now and then: 'I don't understand…'"
Borje Salming and Turnbull arrived in the NHL together, at the start of the 1973-74 season. They were teammates on the Toronto Maple Leafs for eight-plus seasons, defense partners for a good portion of that and roommates on the road for a few years.
On Thursday from his home in Torrance, California, Turnbull was remembering his dear friend, Salming having died earlier that day after a short battle with ALS.
"I always picked up the check for room service," he said, laughing again about his conveniently unilingual Swedish roomie. "We sure had a heck of a lot of fun in those days."
Turnbull's tone grew somber as he considered the loss of a friend.
"The guy's a legend, right?" he said. "I'm shocked and saddened that he went as fast as he did, to be honest. Nothing's guaranteed in this life. Carpe diem, as they say. Seize the day."
Borje Salming (left) and Ian Turnbull in Toronto Maple Leafs portraits. Hockey Hall of Fame/Getty Images
From the West Coast, Turnbull had watched his former blue line mate lift the roof of Scotiabank Arena during two pregame ceremonies earlier this month, Salming honored with the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2022 on Nov. 11, then alone the following night.
"I'm at a loss for words because Borje rallied to come to Toronto," he said, Salming having summoned enough strength to travel one last time to North America from his native Sweden. "I think they did a fantastic job (to honor Salming). I saw a few videos, it was very emotional and stirring and wonderful for him. I've got nothing but great memories of the guy."
Salming, from Kiruna, Sweden, and Montreal-native Turnbull were Maple Leafs teammates from their rookie seasons in 1973-74 through the latter's Nov. 11, 1981 trade to the Los Angeles Kings.
"I don't know that they knew how good Borje was, initially," Turnbull said. "It took a while, obviously. He had to cut his chops for people to pick up on how good he was.
"We got paired (as defense partners), I don't know why, and we seemed to click. We had a real nice chemistry. One year, I think both of us had 80 points."
In fact, in 1976-77, Turnbull had 79 points (22 goals, 57 assists), Salming one point fewer (12 goals, 66 assists).
Borje Salming (left) and Ian Turnbull try to stop Boston Bruins' Don Marcotte, in close on Toronto goalie Wayne Thomas. Graphic Artists/Hockey Hall of Fame
Turnbull wasn't aware of Salming's illness, which he'd been battling since late April, publicly announced by a statement on Aug. 10.
"Our last contact was when I messaged him," he said. "I didn't know he wasn't able to respond so he emoji'd me, gave me a thumbs up or a little heart. I didn't know that he was able to converse just on a keyboard, but at the end of the day, at least his suffering wasn't a long, drawn-out, agonizing demise."
From his home in Florida, Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Robinson remembered an opponent who had a gift for controlling a game, and a one-time teammate who seized the reins when necessary.
"It's an awful, awful disease," said Robinson, who broke into the NHL with the Canadiens in 1972-73, one year before Salming's arrival with Montreal's oldest, most historic rival.
"I remember the pounding Borje took when he came in," Robinson said. "He was one of the first Europeans to come to the NHL and they had this so-called reputation that they were all soft, that they didn't hit anybody, and at that time the Philadelphia Flyers were the 'Broad Street Bullies.'
"They tried to take advantage of him but it never deterred him at all. Borje gave back probably not as much as he got, but he certainly gave his share of bumps and bruises to others. He was just a terrific hockey player and he really knew how to control a game."
Larry Robinson (left) and Borje Salming as teammates for the NHL all-star team in the 1979 Challenge Cup in New York. Getty Images
Robinson, one of the NHL's great rushing defensemen, learned more about Salming's skill set during the 1979 Challenge Cup, a three-game series at New York's Madison Square Garden between all-star teams of the NHL and the Soviet Union.
The Canadiens defense pillar recalls having suffered two cracked ribs in his first shift of Game 1, though he finished the game and the series, won 2-1 by the Russians. It was reported after Game 1 that Robinson had taken a day off practice to rest a back that had been bruised by a cross-check, but the injury was much worse than that.
"After (the injury), I just told him, 'Borje, I'm just going to stay in front, you can go wherever the heck you want, I'm staying back here. Whenever I get the puck I'll give it to you because I can't shoot it,' " Robinson recalled. "He just took control. He was just that good."
The last time the two met was during a Hall of Fame induction weekend some years ago, Salming inviting Robinson to Sweden to look into the sports equipment he was producing.
"Borje had just opened a new company and I'd have gone over, but I was probably working with the (New Jersey) Devils at the time," he said.
Robinson, whose 1995 Hall of Fame induction preceded Salming's by one year, didn't know that the Swede was battling ALS, shocked when he saw his once robust counterpart on Scotiabank Arena ice earlier this month, supported by Maple Leafs icons Darryl Sittler and Mats Sundin.
"We played against each other a lot but the first thing I'm thinking of now is Borje's family and friends," he said. "It just breaks my heart that he's gone and that we've lost another one."
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