 Borje Salming was the first European star in the NHL . He signed with the Maple Leafs in 1973 , and played 16 seasons in the NHL , retiring in 1990 . He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 . His fellow Swede , Pelle Lindbergh , was one of the top goaltenders in the world in the early 1980s . He led the Flyers to the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals before dying in a car accident during the 1985 – 86 season . Finns Jari Kurri and Esa Tikkanen helped lead the Oilers dynasty of the 1980s . 
