(AP) The closing weekend of the Winter Olympics was a bit of a letdown for the host country: The men's hockey final didn't turn out the way the Americans hoped. Neither did Apolo Anton Ohno's last two short-track speedskating races. Or Bode Miller's slalom finale.

But, all in all, the last 17 days were a spectacular show for the United States.

When the Olympic flame was doused Sunday night, 34 medals were hanging from the necks of American athletes, including two won Saturday that ended a long drought in bobsledding glory. The total is nearly triple the previous best of 13 and well above the US Olympic Committee's expectations – a public prediction of 20 and a fingers-crossed goal of 27.

Americans won 10 golds (four more than ever before), 13 silvers and 11 bronzes. Germany was the only country that did better, winning 35 medals (12-16-7), six more than any country had ever won at a Winter Olympics.

"I feel like a very proud mother," USOC president Sandy Baldwin said. "We all put a lot of work into these games. This is not serendipity."

The closing ceremony was a big relief for Salt Lake City organizers. They made it – safely – through more than two weeks of playing host to the world in the wake of Sept. 11.

"People of America, Utah and Salt Lake City, you have given the world superb games," IOC president Jacques Rogge said. "You have reassured us that people from all countries can live peacefully together."

Unfortunately, the games that were scandalously given to Salt Lake City, and were marred by judging turmoil, ended with another smudge Sunday: the first drug case at a Winter Olympics since 1988 – and there were three of them, including two gold medalists.


HOCKEY: Sunday truly was a golden anniversary for the Canadians.

Exactly 50 years since an amateur team called the Edmonton Waterloo Mercurys won Canada's last men's gold medal, a group of millionaire NHL players beat a similar collection from the United States 5-2 in the final event of the games.

The Americans led early and tied it at 2 in the second period, but the Canadians answered quickly. After the United States failed to score on a power play late in the third period, Canada added two goals in the final four minutes.

The result set off a wild celebration north of the border.

Even though it was the first Olympic loss on home ice by Americans in 70 years, there was no shame in finishing second to the team put together by Wayne Gretzky – unlike four years ago in Nagano, when an early exit led to a furniture-destroying tantrum.

"We would have loved to win, but if we couldn't, there's nobody better to do it," US forward Jeremy Roenick said. "We were playing hockey's creators."

Russia, which won silver in Nagano and gold in three of the previous four Olympics, beat Belarus 7-2 Saturday for the bronze.


BOBSLED: A former football player and an Olympic veteran ended the United States' 46-year medal drought in men's bobsled.

Todd Hays' four-man crew took silver and Brian Shimer's squad won the bronze Saturday, wrapping up a phenomenal performance by Americans in all sliding events on the 15-curve canyon course at Bear Hollow.

"That was amazing!" said Hays, who played linebacker at Tulsa. "If I hear 46 years again, I think I'm going to pass out."

The gold went to Olympic rookie Andre Lange and Germany-2.

Hays barely held off Shimer, who staged a stunning rally to win his first medal in his last Olympic race. He's been trying since Calgary in 1988.

"This is a fairy-tale ending," Shimer said.


SPEEDSKATING: Not even a disqualification and a teammate's stumble in the 5,000-meter relay could wipe the smile off Ohno's face Saturday night.

The short-track speedskater who came to Utah hyped as a favorite for four medals left with two after getting thrown out of the 500 for an illegal move in the semifinals and finishing fourth in the relay because teammate Rusty Smith stumbled over a lane marker. Smith, however, won bronze in the 500 behind Canadians Marc Gagnon and Jonathan Guilmette.

"This was definitely one of the best experiences of my life," Ohno said. "I am definitely happy."

Claudia Pechstein of Germany won the final event on the long track – taking the 5,000 meters in world-record time, the eighth standard set at these games – and Yang Yang (A) won 1,000 meters, the final event on the short track.


SLALOM: With Picabo Street hanging up her skis, Miller is certainly the heir to her title as the nation's most charismatic – and best – slopes star.

However, his go-for-broke attitude didn't do any good Saturday when all he needed was a clean second run in the slalom for his third medal of the games, maybe even a gold. He wound up finishing 10th.

"The Olympics is pretty ... fun when you're just racing to have fun," he said. "It's tough when you have to go slow and be smart."

Frenchmen Jean-Pierre Vidal and Sebastien Amiez took gold and silver. Alain Baxter won the bronze, the first British skier to win an Alpine medal.


DRUGS: Cross-country skiers Larissa Lazutina of Russia and Johann Muehlegg of Spain were stripped of gold medals after testing positive for using a performance-enhancing drug so new it's not yet banned.

Lazutina gave up the 30-kilometer classical gold she won earlier Sunday. It would have been her 10th Winter Olympic medal, tying the record for a woman. She kept the two silvers she won at these games.

Muehlegg was ordered to return the gold he won in Saturday's 50K classical race. He kept golds in the 30K freestyle and the 10K pursuit.

A third cross-country skier, Olga Danilova of Russia, also tested positive for darbepoetin, which boosts the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen to muscles. It's usually prescribed to help kidney patients avoid anemia.

All three were told to leave and were barred from the closing ceremony.


MEDALS: The benefit of winning only 13 medals, as Americans did at the previous two Winter Olympics, is that it's easier to remember them all.

For those who lost track along the way to 34, a refresher: