WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – On Sunday the Canadian Hockey Team completed a gold medal sweep in hockey for Canada at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla scored two goals apiece to lead Canada to a 5-2 victory over the United States in the men’s hockey gold medal game Sunday.
The triumph comes 50 years to the day after the Canadians claimed their last Olympic gold, at the 1952 Oslo Games.
“Canadians have once again been united in a way that only hockey can bring us together. And their victories have triggered a nationwide party of celebration,” said Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who just returned from a Team Canada trade mission to Russia.
“We’re a hockey power again,” said goaltender Martin Brodeur. “Winning the gold re-assures Canada.”
It is also the culmination of a journey that got off to an rocky start early in these Games. The first-place finish comes after the team was pounded by Sweden in its Olympic opener and failed to look like a medal contender until its round-robin finale, a tie with the Czech Republic.
“It was awesome,” said Iginla. “I’ve never been part of anything like this…All tournament I’ve had a lot of scoring opportunities, and in the last two games things started going in for everybody.”
Sakic and Iginla both scored key tallies late in the third period to give Canada breathing room in what had been a tight game throughout. Brodeur finished with 31 saves, including a huge stop on Brett Hull during a power-play late in the third.
“We look forward to giving them a good old- fashioned Canadian welcome when they come home,” concluded Canadian Prime Minister.
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The win, which was ironically by the same score in which Canada fell to the U,S. in the final game of the 1996 World Cup, secured the country its seventh Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey. It also completed a Salt Lake sweep, as the Canadian women defeated the U.S. Thursday for their own gold. |
