Hittade en äldre källa än Ola Liljedahls bok. I Salmings självbiografi, skriven tillsammans med Gerhard Karlsson,
Blood, Sweat and Hockey från 1991 beskrivs händelsen, på s 100:
Citat:
But I was unsure of what to expect when I skated out to face Canada. The most I'd hoped for was polite applause. And that’s how it started. Then something strange, wonderfully strange, started to happen.
The fans all rose from their chairs and started stomping and clapping and cheering like mad. I stood on the blueline waiting for the next name to be announced, but the crowd wouldn't stop. The applause was deafening. I was almost in shock.
“No, this isn’t right. It’s too much,” I thought to myself.
But the crowd continued to cheer. I trembled all over. A couple of minutes passed and I was really feeling awkward. I was embarrassed and didn’t know where to go.
“Stop!” I said to myself. “Now, please, you must stop.”
If there had been a button to open a trapdoor in the ice, I would have pressed it.
På s 101:
Citat:
It was confusing, impossible to describe. I was moved and near tears. I wouldn't have missed that experience for all the money in the world, but at the same time I wouldn't like to go through it again. A five-minute standing ovation is at least four minutes too long for a boy from Kiruna.
Twelve years later, I had a similar experience before playing my 1,000th game for the Maple Leafs.
Boken finns även utgiven på svenska med namnet
Blod, svett och hockey (1991) men har ej kollat den. Båda versionerna har trycks i flera upplagor.