Now Streaming: BÖRJE - THE JOURNEY OF A LEGEND, Revenge By Triumph

Why go to Canada?

Börje - The Journey of a Legend
The first two episodes are now streaming on Viaplay. The remaining episodes will be added two per week on May 9 and May 16. I've seen the first three episodes.

As a native Californian, former New Yorker, and current Texan, I've only been to Canada once (in person), so my answer would be: 'Why not?'

For Börje Salming, born north of the Arctic Circle in Kiruna, Sweden, the answer would be: 'To play ice hockey.'

Nonetheless, Börje is asked that question in the opening moments of a new limited series, now streaming on Viaplay (available in the U.S. via Amazon's Prime Video). In those moments, he is already a sensation in Canada, where he is about to take part in a brutal game that will leave him bloody on the ice, leading to occasional narrator Smokey (Jack Langedijk) rewinding to how Börje began his career in Sweden.

In 1969, Börje was an angry youth. Embodied by Valter Skarsgård, a member of the esteemed Skarsgård acting family (including Stellan, Alexander, and Bill), the young man is passionate about the game, and eager to join his older brother, already a pro in Stockholm. His loving mother supports him, but his dismissive stepfather does not.

As if his stepfather's treatment wasn't bad enough, Börje is bullied by a small gang of nasty young men who derisively call him a "Lapp." Börje is always ready to fight back, whether on the ice or away from the rink, which means he is constantly getting beaten up.

That serves him well in that fisticuffs-first mentality that appeared to rule ice hockey during the 1970s. Börje stood out first of all, though, for his ability to skate around opponents and score goal after goal with silky precision, and that's what attracts the attention of National Hockey League (NHL) scout Gerry McNamera (Jason Priestley).

Meanwhile, Börje makes an instant connection with Margitta (Hedda Stiernstedt) at a party one night, leading to his first romantic relationship. That is put to the test when Gerry offers Börje and his teammate Igne contracts to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and become two of the first European players in the NHL.

That's where Episode 2 concludes. I was kindly provided access to all six episodes in advance, so I can say that Episode 3 goes to Toronto and becomes even more fascinating, with more characters drawn from real life events.

We are not a site that primarily focuses on sports-related movies and television shows, and I have only rarely even watched ice hockey on television. And this show takes place during the period when I first became acquainted with the sport, which left me cold with the extended fighting -- I know, I know, it's hypocritical of me to have watched and enjoyed fighting on the big and small screens in the past.

Even as a non-fan of the sport, though, I found myself becoming fascinated with the dramatic differences of the cultures in Sweden and in Canada during that time period. Written by Martin Bengtsson and directed by Amir Chamdi, the episodes move at a good clip and the performances are uniformly good, especially by Valter Skarsgård and Hedda Stiernstedt, who are truly stars in the making.

And if you like a good fight and/or ice hockey (or maybe even both), check out this series.