Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw
Curling: Canada wins men’s title – and nation’s 13th gold – AFP News : Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
Vancouver (AFP) - Canada won their 13th gold medal of the 2010 Winter Games on Saturday when their undefeated men's curlers beat Norway 6-3 to seal their second consecutive Olympic crown.
The result left Canada untouchable in the gold medal count, an impressive achievement for a nation coming into these Games having failed to win a single title on home ground at the 1976 Summer Games and the 1988 Winter showpiece.
In a tight battle, Canada, urged on by a passionate capacity home crowd, kept an iron grip on the final early on and were never behind throughout.
Skip Kevin Martin, described the win as "an amazing feeling," saying all the hard work had been worthwhile.
"We're very, very happy. It's a dream come true. It's a lot of work, a lot of years to get it done," he said, adding: "The boys sure played well today."
Reacting to the news that Canada cannot now be caught in the gold medal tally, Martin said: "We need to have more Olympic Games in our country don't we? Because the crowd is a major factor, when you have that extra player on the field."
Canada were 3-0 ahead at the break but the Norwegians, wearing their trademark diamond-patterned trousers, scored two points in the sixth end to pull back to within a point.
The host nation re-established their three-point lead in the seventh and although Norway pulled a point back in the eighth, Canada again edged ahead, going into the tenth with a 6-3 lead, leaving them on the brink of the title.
In emotional scenes, the crowd, which included Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Hollywood star Donald Sutherland, burst into an impromptu rendition of the Canadian national anthem before the home team sealed victory by making it impossible for Norway to level the scores.
Martin said hearing "O Canada" being sung was "an amazing feeling. You hold and stop the game and you enjoy it."
Norway skip Thomas Ulsrud said: "If you give me 10 minutes then I'll probably be happy with silver. We didn't put in a good game today and Kevin's team was great.
"We had a plan coming in, as long as we could keep it tight then we would have a chance. We tried to play defensively and it didn't work. He came right back at us every time."
The win is a major tonic for the host nation after their women's team agonisingly failed to close out victory over defending champions Sweden Friday, leaving skip Cheryl Bernard distraught.
Canada's men romped through qualifying, winning all nine games, including a narrow 7-6 win over the Norwegians, becoming the first team to stay undefeated in round robin in Olympic curling before beating Sweden in the semi-final.
Martin, silver medallist at the Salt Lake Games in 2002, led the same rink that took gold and silver at the 2008 and 2009 world championships, also featuring Benjamin Herbert, Marc Kennedy and John Morris.
Saturday's final was a repeat of the 2002 title match, in which Norway took gold.
Earlier, Switzerland gained revenge for their European championship defeat by defeating Sweden 5-4 to take bronze.
jw