Lifetime of Toronto Maple Leaf legend Börje Salming captured in new miniseries

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Börje Salming had given his blessing for actor Valter Skarsgård to painting him in a miniseries about his life, however there was an issue: Skarsgård didn’t know the best way to skate.

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The 28-year-old actor, whose brothers Alexander, Gustaf, and Invoice are recognized for his or her roles in Succession, Westworld and It, amongst different tasks, grew up a soccer fan. He was properly conscious of Salming’s legend, the beloved former Toronto Maple Leaf and the primary European participant to be inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame, however studying to take to the ice introduced a novel problem.

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“I couldn’t skate in any respect,” Skarsgård informed Nationwide Submit from Stockholm. “Step one was only for me to discover ways to stand on skates.”

Two years of coaching adopted as Skarsgård labored with hockey coaches who had been deeply aware of Salming’s model and will instruct Skarsgård on the best way to emulate his actions. He additionally labored with a physique double for among the extra technical scenes.

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“He was such an excellent skater and skillful participant for that point so it was undoubtedly a giant problem, however that we put a whole lot of effort into to get as shut as we may get,” he mentioned.

The outcomes will be seen in ‘Borje: The Journey of a Legend,’ a six-episode sequence that debuted in Canada earlier this month. Obtainable completely on the Scandinavian streaming service Viaplay at Viaplay.com, the sequence was directed by Amir Chamdin and filmed in Sweden and Toronto.

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Skarsgård first met Salming about 5 years in the past and, upon visiting Toronto, noticed firsthand how the participant generally known as “The King” lives on within the metropolis the place he spent 16 memorable seasons.

“Despite the fact that he was huge right here, going over there, people who weren’t even alive when he left Toronto nonetheless know him so properly,” he mentioned. “It’s 50 years later and he’s nonetheless appreciated over there. It was beautiful to see.”

Skarsgård says he was drawn to the position partially due to the contrasting points of Salming’s persona. On the ice, Salming was fearless and instrumental in difficult the North American stereotype of European gamers as being timid. Away from the rink, nevertheless, he was recognized for his sort and mild manner.

Hailing from the northernmost municipality in Sweden, Salming’s Sámi origins had been additionally an vital a part of his identification. He grew up in Kiruna, a city throughout the Arctic Circle with a robust Sámi presence.

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Skarsgard mentioned the primary time they spoke, Salming shared tales concerning the problem of sustaining a tricky exterior within the hockey world, regardless of his inherently sort nature.

“He was telling me tales about how he didn’t, on the time, know why he behaved in sure methods, however he may now perceive the emotional conditions that he’d gone via that made him be that method,” Skarsgård mentioned. “And the duality of that, that was simply one thing I couldn’t miss out on.”

Their journeys to Toronto had been a few of his favorite moments throughout the manufacturing of the sequence, notably travelling across the metropolis with Salming and visiting landmarks from his previous.

“I knew Börje felt assured in me portraying him,” he mentioned. “He was parading me round in Toronto, saying ‘That is who’s going to play me, that is me as a younger man.’ So understanding that he believed in me, gave me confidence.”

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In 2022, a number of years into the venture, Salming was recognized with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He handed away final November, shortly after an emotional tribute at Scotiabank Enviornment. In the course of the ceremony, Salming was flanked at centre ice by his former teammate Darryl Sittler and fellow Swedish Leafs alumnus, Mats Sundin.

The illness had already progressed to the purpose that Salming was unable to talk however a tearful Sittler helped Salming increase his arm to acknowledge the group.

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Salming was closely concerned within the sequence main as much as his prognosis and his loss of life had a profound affect on the set.

“He was a giant, huge a part of this manufacturing earlier than he bought sick,” mentioned Jason Priestley, who portrays Gerry McNamara, the scout who travelled to Sweden to recruit Salming. “It was extremely unhappy and affected lots of people on the manufacturing very deeply as a result of he had been so concerned within the improvement of the piece.”

Over the previous couple of years, Priestley has devoted a big period of time to immersing himself within the period of Leafs historical past that Salming was a part of.

He directed Offside: The Harold Ballard Story, which debuted earlier this yr and delves into Ballard’s contentious reign because the staff’s proprietor from 1972 to 1990. Having interviewed McNamara for the documentary, Priestley mentioned he was instantly intrigued when he was despatched the script for the sequence.

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“Then once I learn the piece, I believed it was actually fascinating as a result of there have been so many issues in there about Börje that I didn’t know,” he mentioned. “So having the chance to play Gerry on this movie was one thing that I checked out as an excellent alternative to provide again to Gerry slightly bit.”

His time with McNamara, who spent most of his enjoying days toiling within the minors, other than a seven-game stint with the Leafs, was additionally helpful as researching the position proved difficult.

“There wasn’t a lot footage of Gerry from again then,” he mentioned. “I used to be capable of finding a few interviews with him. It gave me simply sufficient materials to piece collectively his rhythm of speech and the way his voice landed in his nostril and throat. So I used to be capable of cobble collectively a efficiency from these components and likewise from spending time with Gerry in individual.”

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Despite the fact that he grew up in Vancouver as a Canucks fan, Priestley has held a long-standing curiosity in that period of the Leafs, which marked a precipitous fall from their standing as perennial Stanley Cup contenders — and winners — within the Sixties.

“It’s fascinating how a staff can go from absolutely the pinnacle of their sport to being a mid-level staff at greatest,” he mentioned, including that it feels just like the Leafs are “nonetheless digging out of that gap.”

Priestley credited Skarsgård for his work on the sequence and his efforts to seize Salming.

“He’s a super-talented child. This venture was positioned firmly on his shoulders and he carried it. He’s bought a giant future forward of him.”

Like Skarsgard, he hopes folks come away from the sequence with a multi-faceted view and new appreciation of who Salming was, each on the ice and away from the sport.

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“I believe the miniseries does loads to humanize Börje,” he mentioned. “Börje isn’t not like a whole lot of hockey gamers, who’ve loves, who’ve misplaced issues, who’ve struggled, and it’s simple to neglect after we all sit down on Saturday night time and watch hockey that these are males they usually have all the identical foibles that each one of us have. Börje is a legend, and he’ll at all times be a legend in Toronto however, hopefully, this venture will simply give folks a little bit of a glimpse into the extra human facet of him.”

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