Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin delivered one of the biggest hits of his career as a member of Sweden’s World Championship team. Sandin was named to the senior Tre Kronor team for the first time in his career in April.
Sandin (no. 38 in blue) stepped up and nailed David Reinbacher (no. 64 in white) with a huge hip check as the Austrian defenseman skated the puck into the offensive zone. Sandin’s check, combined with contact from teammate Henrik Tommernes, sent Reinbacher spinning horizontally in the air before he crashed to the ice.
Sandin! 👊🏼 🤤 pic.twitter.com/0bnZ1oqGmM
— Robin Söderlund (@RobinSoderlund) May 14, 2023
Reinbacher, a 2023-draft eligible prospect who could be drafted by the Capitals with the number eight pick, was injured on the play and did not return to the game. Per Swedish Television and reported by Lars Thorsell of the The Swedish Winger Podcast, the highly-touted defender was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. That news was also reported by Austrian sports journalist Thomas Muck.
The GIF of the hit, posted by Robin Soderlund, has gotten over 129,000 views since being posted eight hours ago.
Sandin, overall, skated 20:13 and finished the night with a plus-minus of plus-two. He was utilized on Sweden’s first defensive pairing.
Tre Kronor ställer upp med följande formationer i dagens match mot Österrike, där Jesper Wallstedt startar i det svenska målet!
Nedsläpp 19.20 och ni ser matchen på plats i Tammerfors eller från soffan på SVT2/play.Nu hejar vi fram Sverige 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/q7oi0dG6Dg
— Tre Kronor (@Trekronorse) May 14, 2023
Sweden defeated Austria 5-0 to improve to 2-0-0 in the tournament. They’ve outscored their opponents early on 6-0.
Screenshot: IIHF
