Börje Salming, the Toronto Maple Leafs legend who spent 16 seasons wearing the blue and white, has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the condition also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, he said in a statement issued through the team on Wednesday.
“I have received news that has shaken my family and me,” Salming wrote. “The signs that indicated that something was wrong in my body turned out to be the disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In an instant, everything changed. I do not know how the days ahead will be, but I understand that there will be challenges greater than anything I have ever faced.”