Crosby's goal ends thriller against U.S.

The roar first erupted inside Canada Hockey Place and stretched across the prairies of Manitoba, to the shores of Parry Sound, Ontario, to Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Ridiculed by a nation only seven 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.

Sidney Crosby, Canada's greatest current star, who had not scored a point in the two 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 nearly 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 the semifinals - the Miracle on Ice - in Lake Placid, N.Y.

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

The United States, which had never trailed in the tournament, fell behind, 2-0, before mounting a furious rally that was capped by Zach Parise's goal with 24.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

"Throughout that whole game we thought we were going to win," Parise said.

The victory was as thrilling as the Canadians' path through the tournament and 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.

Crosby now joins Paul Henderson in Canada hockey lore. Every Canadian alive in 1972 surely knows where he or she 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 finished with a superb .946 save percentage, said: "I'm just very frustrated. We got ourselves in a position to win from two goals down. Sudden death kind of stings."

Before the tournament, almost no one thought the Americans would reach the final.

At an introductory news conference two weeks ago, Brian Burke, the American team's general manager, asked a roomful of reporters how many thought Canada, Russia or Sweden would win the gold. Hands shot up for each country. He asked how many 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 just a shame that both teams couldn't receive a gold medal here today."

The game was fast-paced and 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.

Jonathan Toews and Mike Richards, the forwards who shut down 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.

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.

The Americans refused to wilt as Canada Hockey Place shook with thunderous cheers. Five minutes later, they got on the board when a streaking Ryan Kesler redirected Patrick Kane's pass past a shaky Roberto Luongo, Kesler's Vancouver Canucks teammate. Kesler told reporters on Saturday he knew Luongo's weaknesses and would score on him.

Miller kept the Americans in the game with 36 saves, many of them while he was screened or under assault in the crease. Miller, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, thwarted Eric Staal and Crosby on a breakaway and Dany Heatley twice at the post with an outstretched right skate. He was lucky, too, as two Canadian shots hit the post in the first 1:45 of the third period.

In overtime, he calmly stopped Jarome Iginla, Scott Niedermayer and Patrick Marleau on his doorstep, seconds apart.

The Americans pressed the attack in the third period, but Canada repelled each assault. Wilson pulled Miller with just over a minute left and put Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, Joe Pavelski, Kane, Ryan Suter and Rafalski on the ice.

As the precious last few seconds ticked off the clock, Kane, in the high slot, twirled and fired a shot at Luongo. The puck pinged off Langenbrunner and then Luongo. Parise (four goals, four assists in the Games) swatted the rebound into the net with 24.4 seconds left. He then leapt against the corner glass and was mobbed by his teammates as a substantial American contingent in the crowd erupted with a cheer of its own.

Then came overtime. Pressure anyone? Just all of North America was watching.

"After he missed the third-period breakaway, going into the dressing room before overtime was pretty tough on him," Iginla said of Crosby.

Crosby worked the puck into the corner, slid it to Iginla and raced toward the net a step ahead of Rafalski. He took Iginla's return pass and shot the puck between Miller's legs.

Bedlam. Redemption. O Canada.

The triumphant Canadian players, gold medals around their necks, linked arms and sang with their overjoyed fans.

Crosby, 22, stood on the far end of the line, having added Olympic gold to his achievement with the Penguins last spring, when he became the youngest captain to hoist the Stanley Cup.

"It's the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the Olympics here and try and get a gold medal," he said. "It could've been any other guy in that room."

But it wasn't.

It was Crosby.