Canada's agony is over

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Oh, yes, Canada.

Canada finally ended its agonizing 50-year wait to win the Olympic gold medal in its national sport, beating the United States as Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic each scored twice in a historic 5-2 victory Sunday.

The loss ended U.S. coach Herb Brooks' quest to lead a second gold-medal winning team 22 years after the famous "Miracle on Ice" with a group of college players.

This time, with the best of the NHL playing each other, the U.S. men's team lost for the first time in 70 years on Olympic home ice -- three days after the American women's team lost to Canada in the final.

Paul Kariya and Iginla scored less than four minutes apart in the first period as Canada seized the lead after falling behind 1-0. Brian Rafalski tied it in the second period after the Americans killed off a two-man advantage, but Canada regained the lead on Sakic's goal later in the period.

In the third, Iginla redirected Steve Yzerman's shot from the left point with just under four minutes left to increase Canada's lead, then Sakic added his second goal.

Canada's biggest win

Sakic's goal sealed what is perhaps Canada's biggest victory in any sport and caused Wayne Gretzky, the team's executive director, to jump up wildly in his private box, pumping his fists and waving his arms.

"This is a great moment for a proud country," Gretzky said.

Remarkably, Canada's gold came 50 years to the day an amateur team called the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys won the hockey-crazy nation's last Olympic gold. In 1998, Canada easily won its first four games, only to be eliminated in an upset loss to the Czech Republic.

"You don't know what it's like to have a piano on your back. No other team had more pressure than ours," defenseman Al MacInnis said. "Everybody in Canada was watching with the same intensity that we played the game with. It's amazing the way a sport can bring the country together."

Canada's pursuit of the gold medal mesmerized Canadians, with the CBC predicting the Sunday afternoon game would draw the largest TV audience in the nation's history -- not just for sports, but for any event.

The American loss came despite goals by Tony Amonte and Brian Rafalski, and was the first for the United States in 25 Olympic games (21-1-3) on U.S. ice since a 2-1 loss to Canada in 1932. Brooks had been 10-0-2 in Olympic games.

"We would have loved to win, but if we couldn't, there's nobody better to do it," U.S. forward Jeremy Roenick said. "We were playing hockey's creators."

Just as it did in its 4-2 victory over Finland for the gold in Lake Placid in 1980, the United States trailed by a goal going into the third period. This time, though, the Americans had no answer for Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur, not even the starter when the tournament began.

Brodeur turned aside 31 shots to outduel Mike Richter, who made the most spectacular saves but could not halt a succession of Canadian odd-man rushes in the first two periods. Brodeur is the son of Denis Brodeur, the team photographer who was Canada's goalie on its bronze-medal winning team in 1956.

The gold also was redemption for Gretzky. He drew heavy criticism when Team Canada was routed 5-2 in its Olympic opener by Sweden, then barely beat Germany before coasting into the gold-medal game against weak opposition after Belarus upset Sweden.

"Getting smoked by Sweden was a good lesson and we knew we had to get better," Sakic said.

They did, helping to create the kind of riveting, intense game the NHL was hoping for when it sent its players to the Olympics for the first time four years ago.

There were unexpected swings in momentum, excellent goaltending and a noisy, pro-American crowd that drowned out the pockets of Canadian fans.

That is, until the end, when delighted Canadian fans sang "O Canada" in the closing moments.

Shortly after the game ended, Canada captain Mario Lemieux, who set up Kariya's pivotal goal, went to the U.S. bench and hugged Brooks, a scout for the Lemieux-owned Pittsburgh Penguins.

"It probably was a good time to ask him for a raise," Brooks said.

Canada scored as many goals -- five -- as the Americans' first five opponents and controlled the Mike Modano-Brett Hull line that had produced nine goals and 10 assists in five Olympic blame.

"They had better legs than we did," Brooks said. "We didn't have the legs we had before, but we had a much tougher route to the finals."

Despite the final score, Richter, who made 34 saves, hardly was to blame. He faced numerous rushes as Canada's big, strong forwards took advantage of the United States' more mobile but much smaller defensemen to generate waves of scoring chances.

Amonte's goal midway through the first period looked huge, especially with the United States matching Canada check for check.

But Kariya answered just over six minutes later, one-timing Chris Pronger's cross-ice pass.