Canada's hockey dream comes true as Olympics end (2nd Roundup)

By Barry Whelan Mar 1, 2010, 4:10 GMT

Vancouver - Canada defeated the United States 3-2 for the ice hockey gold medal on Sunday and a perfect ending of the Vancouver Games which saw the host team set new standards amid an unprecedented Olympic frenzy.

NHL superstar Sidney Crosby was the hero when he clinched matters 7:40 minutes into sudden death overtime, after Zach Parise had spoilt the Canadian party in regulation by grabbing the 2-2 equalizer with 24.4 seconds left.

'It doesn't even feel real. It feels like a dream,' said Crosby.

'Our team worked really hard in regulation time and they got that one by us in the end. But we came out in overtime and this is just an unbelievable feeling.'

The triumph in the country's favourite sport was Canada's 14th gold medal, a mark never reached before at the Winter Games by any country.

'Alex (Bilodeau), your first gold (on February 15 in freestyle skiing) gave us permission to feel and behave like champions. Our last one will be remembered by generations,' said organizing committee head John Furlong at the closing ceremony.

If the Canada at the start of the Games was a little mysterious to visitors it was no longer the case. 'Now you know us, eh,' he added.

Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson handed the Olympic flag to Sochi counterpart Anatoly Pakhomov via International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge at the closing show at B.C Place Stadium.

'These were excellent and very friendly Games,' Rogge said.

Rogge also remembered Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili who was killed in training hours before the opening ceremony. 'We have shared the grief of an Olympic dream cut short,' he said.

Earlier Sunday, Petter Northug became the most successful male athlete of the Games when he pushed passed German Axel Teichmann on the home stretch of the 50-kilometres cross country ski marathon.

Northug got his gold medal at the closing ceremony where rock stars like Neil Young created a party atmosphere and Rogge formally declared the Games closed.

Northug finished with two golds, one silver and one bronze. The most successful women's athlete was also a Norwegian cross-country skier, Marit Bjoergen, with three golds, one silver and one bronze.

Already assured of the top of the medal table, Canada finished with a final tally of 14 gold, seven silver and five bronze, ahead of Germany (10-13-7), the US (9-15-13) and Norway 9-8-6) from the 86 events a few hours before the closing ceremony.

The 37 US medals were also a Winter Games record, but they would have likely preferred a 10th goal in the hockey final which brought the whole of Canada to a standstill.

The excitement was huge and Canada got its revenge for a 5-3 group stage defeat last Sunday.

Jonathan Toews scored in the first period and Corey Perry made it 2-0 in the second for Canada.

The United States cut the deficit in half with Ryan Kesler's goal later in the second. And Parise's equalizer late in regulation added to the Canadian nerves before Crosby's winner let Canada Hockey Place and the whole nation erupt in joy.

Canada waited eight years to once again win Olympic gold. And Mike Babcock's men came through a week after losing 5-3 to the United States in the final round robin match.

The hockey medals were presented by Rogge, who had earlier expressed his delight with the Games which had to overcome some initial 'teething pains' and the death of Kumaritashvili.

Looking at the overall Games, Rogge spoke before the ceremony of 'this extraordinary embrace of the entire city of the Olympic Games, something I have never seen on this scale before.'

The closing ceremony saw Sochi mayor Anatoly Pakhomov receive the Olympic flag, and the Black Sea resort gave a first taste of 2014 in an eight-minute presentation featuring super model Natalia Vodianova, hockey legend Vladislav Tretiak, Bolshoi theatre ballet dancers as well as video links to Sochi and Moscow.

But on the night ballet wasn't really what Canada wanted. It was left to a finale of rock, pop and hip hop to get the party going in a noisy celebration of Canada and the Olympic athletes.