Fifty years after it last carried home a set of Olympic gold medals, the Canadian men's ice hockey team returned to the top of the podium with a 5-2 victory over the United States in the final competition of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Fittingly, Canada's triumphant moment of closure formed a Maple Leaf-draped bookend to 17 days of winter sport that began with the country's figure skating pair embroiled in a judging controversy - a controversy that resulted in the presentation of gold medals to Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

The hockey team's victory was no less graceful - and powerful.

Led by forward Joe Sakic's two goals and two assists, Team Canada finished the tournament with the energy its NHL star-studded roster lacked in early round-robin play.

Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur, who arrived in Salt Lake in the third spot on the team's depth chart, turned in another impressive performance on Sunday. The two-time Stanley Cup winner stopped 31 shots, capping his emergence as a surprise Olympic star after arriving in Utah as a third-choice backup.

Brodeur, whose father won a bronze medal tending net for Canada's 1956 Olympic team, said "As an athlete, you want to be part of great things for your country, but you've also got the motivation of family. We did a lot of great things today, and I can't imagine anything better."

At the other end of the ice, U.S. goalie Mike Richter had his share of splendid saves but fell victim to a barrage of odd-man rushes.

The victory also served as minor redemption for Wayne Gretzky, Team Canada's executive director, who took a raft of criticism following his team's opening loss to Sweden. Ironically, the score in that game also was 5-2.

For the U.S., the loss was the first in 23 Olympic outings on U.S. ice since it lost to Canada 2-1 in 1932.

--Ted Brock

Women's Hockey

The balance of power between the world's two best women's hockey teams has shifted back north of the border.

Canada won the Olympic gold medal Thursday night, beating the United States 3-2 to snap an eight-game losing streak against the Americans and avenge a loss from the inaugural final in Nagano.

"Everyone was expecting us to win. We expected to win," U.S. defenseman Angela Ruggiero said. "That's why it's so disappointing."

Hayley Wickenheiser broke a second-period tie and Kim St-Pierre stopped 25 shots for Canada. It is the first Olympic gold for Team Canada - male or female - since 1952, when the men won for the sixth time in seven tries.

"It's our sport. It's the medal we want," defenseman Therese Brisson said. "There's a lot of passion about hockey in Canada, and it's something that means something to a lot of Canadians."

Wickenheiser, known in her homeland as the female Wayne Gretzky, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and St-Pierre its top goalie.

Wickenheiser held her 22-month-old son while waiting on the ice for her gold medal. Both teams wept - the Canadians locking arms in the middle of the ice while the Americans stood to the side, more sullen than the Swedes who took the bronze.

"We were 8-0 against them and everyone said we'd win," said Lyndsay Wall, a 16-year-old U.S. defenseman at her first Olympics. "It's a lot of pressure. We felt it toward the end, and couldn't pull it out."

The North Americans dominated the early games - as they did in Nagano and at every international tournament since the first world champion was crowned in 1990. Neither the United States nor Canada has ever lost to anyone but each other, and Thursday's matchup was all-but presumed from the Opening Ceremonies.

But the Canadians had a vocal contingent of their own, including Gretzky, singer Alanis Morissette and figure skating gold medalists Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who spoke to the team the morning of the game.

Their message came through clear.

"They said, 'It's not about this at all,"' Brisson said, fingering the gold medal around her neck. '"It's about being your best on the night that it counts.'

"This is wonderful. Hearing your anthem is wonderful. But even without this, I'd do it all over again."

Canada invented hockey and won the first four Olympic golds. Stuck in a 50-year slump, though, Gretzky was called in to restore the men's program.

But it was Wickenheiser who ended the drought.

Sara DeCosta stopped 26 shots in the game, but defender Sue Merz - who went to the ice trying to stop the original shot - was in the goalie's way when Wickenheiser knocked the rebound of Danielle Goyette's shot in to make it 2-1 at 4:10 of the first period.

Canada made it 3-1 with one second left in the second when Jayna Hefford grabbed a bouncing puck with her glove, placed it in front of her stick and shot it off DeCosta. The puck landed behind her and trickled into the net.

United States goalie Sara Decosta reaches but can't stop a shot by Canada's Dana Antal in the first period of the women's hockey gold medal game Thursday.

The United States pulled within one when Karyn Bye's shot deflected off a Canadian stick into the net with 3:33 left in the game. Despite pulling DeCosta after a timeout with 1:14 left, the Americans couldn't tie it.

The Canadians poured over the boards onto the ice at the final buzzer, throwing their equipment into the air. Having beaten the United States in every world championship ever played, the Olympic gold was the one prize they still sought.

"It feels really good to be able to complete the set," Brisson said.

Canada scored just 1:45 into the game when Cherie Piper took the puck around the back of the net and put it off defender A.J. Mleczko's skate. Caroline Ouellette whacked at puck in front of net as it squirted past DeCosta to make it 1-0.

-- Associated Press