Crosby delivers when Canada needs it most (News Feature)

By David Hein Mar 1, 2010, 0:56 GMT

Vancouver - He might not be 'The Great One', but Sidney Crosby showed on Sunday that like Wayne Gretzky he is a great one.

Crosby delivered when it counted most with the Olympic gold medal winning goal in Canada's 3-2 overtime victory over the United States.

'It's a dream come true,' said Crosby, who finished the tournament with seven points on four goals and three assists with a +2 ranking over seven games.

'Winning the gold medal is a dream come true in of itself. But having a chance to put one in in overtime here in Canada doesn't get much better than that.'

Crosby's goal 7:40 into overtime returned Canada atop the world of men's hockey, winning the nation's first gold since 2002 and eighth overall but just their second since 1952.

'You dream of this moment a thousand times growing up as a kid,' said Crosby.

'It was fitting that Crosby scored,' said Canada captain Scott Niedermayer.

'I'm sure it's going to be a good highlight and will be replayed for a long time.'

Canada were far from overwhelming over the course of the tournament, experiencing real ups and downs throughout.

The 22-year-old Crosby came into the final actually having to fend off a bit of criticism as he tallied zero points in neither Canada's 7-3 quarterfinal victory over Russia nor the 3-2 win against Slovakia in the semi-finals.

'It was not a good feeling,' said Crosby about his struggles before the game.

'We've worked really hard to get this and all of Canada deserves this. So I think everybody's going to be celebrating for sure.'

Any problems Crosby may have had are now gone by the wayside.

The fans continually chanted his name before and throughout the game. And when IOC President Jacques Rogge was about to put the gold medal around the neck of Crosby - the last player to receive his medal - the crowd of over 17,000 at Canada Hockey Place was so loud one couldn't hear the public announcer say Crosby's name.

The one hiccup for Crosby on the ice during the aftermath was with the Canadian flag. A number of players had already grabbed a long pole with the flag and skated around the rink. But the fans wanted to see their new hero Crosby skate around with the Maple Leaf.

Crosby finally obliged the remaining spectators and grabbed the flag from a teammate. The only problem was it got tangled up within itself and Crosby needed assistance to free the full flag - similarly to how his teammates helped carry him to the final.

In the end though, Crosby - 'The Next One' - was there for his team, and the fans.