He was a defenceman who played professionally for 23 seasons, for the clubs Brynäs IF, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and AIK.

[2] In 1996, his first year of eligibility, Salming became the first European born and trained player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He died on 24 November 2022, days after accepting an award in what his wife announced on his behalf would be the family's final public appearance.

His paternal grandfather Anders Nikolaus had the surname of Sarri, but changed it to Salming after the village that he and his father (Börje's great-grandfather) had built up.

The team's success attracted attention from Toronto Maple Leafs scout Gerry McNamara, who was initially sent to investigate Inge Hammarström, but was more impressed by Salming after seeing him play.

[7] One of the opponents he faced at AIK was young defenceman Nicklas Lidström, who credited Salming with encouraging his own career.

[5] On 4 September 1986, Salming was suspended by the NHL for eight regular season games and fined $500, because he was quoted in a Toronto newspaper in May saying that he used cocaine "five, six years ago, but not since and I feel good about saying no."

[12] In 1989, after 16 years with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he signed as a free agent with the Red Wings, for whom he played one season to finish his career in the NHL.

"[18][19] In recognition of his international career, Salming was named to the IIHF Centennial All-Star Team in 2008, one of five players honoured.

[22] Early in his career as a Leaf, Salming resided in the High Park neighbourhood in Toronto with his wife Margitta, a children's-wear designer;[23][24] they later divorced.

[27] In February 2022, Salming began to experience an unusual twitching motion in his muscles, which later forced him to prematurely exit an alumni game in March.

[28] In mid-July, Salming was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.

[28] On 10 August, Salming publicly revealed his diagnosis via a statement shared through the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

[32][33] The following night, the Maple Leafs honoured Salming in their game against the Vancouver Canucks, featuring a pre-game ceremony dedicated to the defender where a tearful Salming dropped the puck in the ceremonial face off, with Toronto's William Nylander and Vancouver's Oliver Ekman-Larsson receiving the faceoff, both Swedes.

The Maple Leafs selected a unique starting line-up of six Swedish players to honour Salming's career.

[37][38][39] His death made national headlines in Canada and in Sweden, with several organizations, athletes, and celebrities offering tributes to his life.

[40][41] For the remainder of the 2022–23 NHL season, the Maple Leafs wore commemorative shoulder patches in Salming's honour, with the team also making several donations to ALS research.

[42] On 30 November 2022, a moment of silence was held at Scotiabank Arena to honour him during a game where the San Jose Sharks visited the Toronto Maple Leafs.