Börje - The Journey of a Legend
The biggest difficulty is reviewing a series about sports is to try to figure out if it will have an appeal beyond fans of that player and that sport. I have gone back and forth on Börje - The Journey of a Legend, and in the end, my answer is maybe.
The basic story follows Salming from his birthplace in far north Sweden through becoming the legendary Toronto Maple Leaf’s best player of the era through to being elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Hence, being a hockey fan specifically of the 1970s Leafs will be a big help. If nothing else, it’s fun to recognise the actors plauing Salming’s teammates like Lanny McDonald and Darryl Sittler.
But there is more than just hockey to this story. Salming was a lonely kid due to his brother already being a hockey star and his father working long hours in the mines in which Salming himself seemed destined to spend his life working, so it is enjoyable to see him overcome these obstacles along the way to success.
And something that I believe was never spoken of at the time, because I am sure I would have remembered it, is that Salming faced another obstacle, being Saami (or what we used to call Lapplanders). The Saami occupy a similar position is Scandinavia as First Nations in Canada, facing constant discrimination and harder lives than their countrymen, and it was revealing and thought provoking to see him face and surmount that racism. (Remember that when Salming arrived in Toronto, recently-retired Leaf great George Armstrong was still commonly called ‘Chief’ due to being First Nations.)
Another interesting aspect of the series is that it reminds us of Harold Ballard, then the owner of the Leafs. Ballard was a crooked businessman, racist, sexist, and crude, truly an awful human being. In some ways he was Canada’s Donald Trump, although we had the good sense to convict Ballard and send him to prison instead of electing him to lead the country.
So if you are a fan of ‘70s era hockey, especially the Leafs, you should definitely watch this series. Otherwise, you should approach with caution, though you might find yourself being drawn in, especially if you like looking at ‘70s era outfits.
imdb.com |
