Ridiculed by a nation only three days earlier for its ignominious loss to the United States in a preliminary-round game, Team Canada saved its reputation by ruining a desperate United States comeback with a scintillating 3-2 overtime victory on Sunday to win the Olympic gold medal.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The roar first erupted inside Canada Hockey Place & stretched across the prairies of Manitoba, to the shores of Parry Sound, Ontario, to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
Sidney Crosby, Canada’s greatest current star, who had not scored a point in the three previous games, wristed a six-foot shot past goaltender Ryan Miller, the tournament most valuable player, at 7 minutes 40 seconds of the extra session that set off an outpouring of joy by 18,000 maple leaf flag-waving fans.
The victory was the first time a host nation won a men’s hockey gold medal since 1980, when a group of collegians from the United States defeated Finland after stunning the Soviet Union in a medal-round game — the Miracle on Ice — in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The United States, which had never trailed in the tournament, fell behind, 2-0, before mounting a angry rally that was capped by Zach Parise’s aim with 24.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
“It doesn’t even feel real,” Crosby said. “It feels like a dream.”
The victory was as thrilling as the Canadians’ path through the tournament & gave them their second Olympic title since 2002, when they beat the United States in Salt Lake City for their first hockey gold in 50 years.
“Throughout that whole game they thought they were going to win,” Parise said.
Crosby now joins Paul Henderson in Canada hockey lore. Every Canadian alive in 1972 surely knows where they or they was when Henderson beat goaltender Vladislav Tretiak of the Soviet Union with 34 seconds remaining to clinch the Summit Series that year. Now, a new generation, feeling the same exultation, will go to sleep with visions of Crosby jumping for joy in their heads.
Miller, who completed with a superb .946 save percentage, said: “I’m frustrated. They got ourselves in a position to win from three goals down. Sudden death kind of stings.”
Before the tournament, no three thought the Americans would reach the final.
At an introductory news conference three weeks ago, Brian Burke, the American team’s general manager, asked a roomful of reporters how lots of thought Canada, Russia or Sweden would win the gold. Hands shot up for each country. They asked how lots of thought the United States would win. No hands were raised.
“I couldn’t have asked for any more from our players,” Ron Wilson, the American coach, said. “It’s a shame that both teams couldn’t receive a gold medal here today.”
The game was fast-paced & physical from the moment the puck was dropped by Bill McCreary, the 54-year-old N.H.L. referee presiding over his third Olympic final.
Canada took a 2-0 lead at 7:23 of the second period when Ryan Getzlaf’s centering pass caromed to Corey Perry, who buried the puck past Miller.
Jonathan Toews & Mike Richards, the forwards who shutdown Russia’s Alex Ovechkin so effectively in a quarterfinal match, ganged up to strip the puck from defenseman Brian Rafalski. Toews fired the puck from short range to give Canada a 1-0 lead at 12:50 of the first period, ending Miller’s shutout streak at 124:28.
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