GGOATRANK
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Ice Hockey · Defenceman · Sweden

Börje Salming

1970–1993 · The European pioneer who proved Swedes could survive and star in the NHL.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
79.5
Cultural & brand footprint 48/100 · total legacy 73.8
NHL points
787
All-Star selections
6
Games played
1,148
Hall of Fame inductions
1
World Championship medals
2
Assists
637

Category profile

Dominance
78
Peak
84
Longevity
90
Honours
78
Statistics
84

Career timeline · Points per season

SeasonPoints per seasonShare of career
197339
197437
197557
197666
197778
197860
197956
198071
198167
198262
198359
198444
198541
198633
198727
198830
198917

Data sources

  • NHL
  • Hockey Reference
  • IIHF

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Börje Salming ranks #60 in Ice Hockey

Börje Salming ranks 60th among Ice Hockey athletes on GOAT Rank and 628th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 82.5 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 78, Peak 84, Longevity 90, Honours 78, Statistics 84. Those categories are normalised against the full Ice Hockey reference universe of 395 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1970–1993 with 17 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1977, which sets the Peak component at 84. Longevity is the defining strength of the profile at 90 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes nhl points 787, all-star selections 6, games played 1148, hall of fame inductions 1.

Immediately ahead sits Mats Sundin on 82.8, a gap of 0.3 points. Directly behind is Milt Schmidt on 84.3. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Börje Salming GOAT Score explained

Dominance78/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Salming stood above the field while competing. Scored 78/100 against the full Ice Hockey cohort.
Peak84/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1977. Scored 84/100.
Longevity90/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 23 years of competition and 17 recorded seasons. Scored 90/100.
Honours78/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 78/100.
Statistics84/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 84/100.

Börje Salming — frequently asked

Is Börje Salming the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Börje Salming ranks 60th in Ice Hockey with a GOAT Score of 82.5, behind Wayne Gretzky on 97.8.
What is Börje Salming's GOAT Score?
82.5 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 78 (25%), Peak 84 (20%), Longevity 90 (20%), Honours 78 (20%), Statistics 84 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Börje Salming rank all time?
628th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 60th within Ice Hockey.
Börje Salming vs Mats Sundin: who ranks higher?
Mats Sundin, on 82.8 against Börje Salming's 82.5 — a margin of 0.3 points.
Compare with Gretzky