Hall of Fame defender dies

Hall of Fame defenseman Borje Salming, who starred for the Toronto Maple Leafs over 16 NHL seasons and was a trailblazer for Europeans who later made their mark in the world’s top pro hockey league, died at 71. He had Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Maple Leafs confirmed Salming’s death in a statement Thursday. Team president Brendan Shanahan said Salming opened the door for Europeans in the NHL. Toronto signed Salming as a free agent before the 1973-74 season. He went on to play 1,099 regular-season games with the Leafs, establishing team records for assists (620) and goals (148), points (768) and playoff points (49) by a defenseman.