VANCOUVER — Sid The Kid became The Man yesterday.
Sidney Crosby slipped a goal past Ryan Miller 7:40 into overtime in the Olympic hockey final to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States for the gold medal, and elevate his legend to new heights.
With Canadian hockey legends Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe watching from the stands, Crosby added gold-medal-winning goal to his resume, which already includes a Stanley Cup.
The 22-year-old ended one of the greatest hockey games you’ll ever see and dashed the upset hopes of the Americans.
“It doesn’t even feel real,” Crosby said. “It feels like a dream.”
PHOTOS: CANADA BEATS U.S. IN OVERTIME, 3-2
The overtime battle was an evenly matched struggle over three hours that captivated most of North America. When Crosby’s goal went in, celebrations started all over the Great White North. People poured into the streets of Vancouver, Molsons in hand, cheering wildly.
A week after defeating the Canadians in the final preliminary-round game, the United States team walked away disappointed but with the knowledge it surprised a lot of people by even making it this far.
“No one knew our names,” the Rangers’ Chris Drury said. “People know our names now.”
Team USA’s Zach Parise tied the game at 2-2 with 24.4 seconds left when he put in a rebound goal past Roberto Luongo, forcing overtime. The 17,448 fans at Canada Hockey Place went from festive to apprehensive in a flick of Parise’s wrists.
Miller, the tournament MVP, made 36 saves, and was again the backbone of the American squad. He stopped repeated chances from the Canadians in overtime, stoning shot after shot.
But Jarome Iginla managed to dig the puck out off the boards and slip it to Crosby, who had beaten Brian Rafalski. Crosby took the puck inside the left circle and put it past Miller.
Crosby, who has been touted as the next Gretzky since childhood, missed a breakaway chance in the third period that would have secured the game. On the overtime shot, when Crosby realized the puck had beaten Miller, he threw his gloves, stick and mouthpiece into the air before being mobbed by teammates.
“Every kid dreams of that opportunity,” Crosby said.
Miller dropped to one knee, then all the way to the ice. When he finally skated away from the net, Brooks Orpik came to mid-ice to meet him, followed by Drury.
“It felt like [garbage],” Miller said.
The Canadians took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period on a goal by Corey Perry, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Ryan Kesler got the Americans on the board with 7:16 left in the second, tipping a Patrick Kane pass by Luongo.
The two teams were even in almost every way. Canada took three more shots than the United States, and the two teams were equal in penalty minutes.
The tension grew throughout the third period as both teams missed chances to score. The Canadians hit the post; Rafalski nearly slipped one by Luongo.
American coach Ron Wilson pulled Miller with 1:28 left, putting an extra skater on the ice. Parise finally broke through, slipping the puck around Luongo’s right leg and sending the final to a 20-minute, 4-on-4 overtime period.
“It was a great feeling,” Parise said. “It was unbelievable. It (stinks) when you go from such a high and so much excitement to this.”
The Americans entered the overtime with momentum on their side, but Crosby turned their destiny from gold to silver.
“We proved that it’s not just Canada’s game,” Kesler said. “We took them to overtime. We beat them once already and it was anybody’s game in overtime.
“We came here for gold. We thought we were good enough to win it all.”