The Canadian men’s speed skating team — Charles Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Francois Hamelin and Olivier Jean — discovered the Midas touch Friday and turned Canada’s Games golden.

In two thrilling races, Charles Hamelin and Tremblay won individual medals in the 500-metre sprint and the team captured gold in the 5,000-metre relay.

They were electrifying performances and ensured the 2010 Games would be a historic success for Canada.

With the final weekend to go, the country’s total gold haul stood at 10 medals, the most of any nation.

Together with a heart-thumping 3-2 win by the men’s hockey team — assuring it of at least a silver — and the silver won by the female curlers, Canada now will at least equal the record 24 medals brought back from Turin in 2006.

There is every chance the nation will exceed that achievement and it may end the Olympiad with as many as 27 medals.

Charles Hamelin, of Lévis, Que., was the world’s best speed skater on paper but, until Friday, he had failed to prove it. Now he has silenced his critics.

In the first 500-metre race, marred at the end by a wipeout caused by American Apolo Anton Ohno, Hamelin was the last man standing.

Korean Sung Si-Bak, who had lead at the moment of the collision, crossed the finish line on his back.

Tremblay, who was bowled over by Ohno, picked himself up off the ice and finished the last few metres while the judges were already reviewing the spectacular crash.

By that time, Hamelin had jumped up on the boards and embraced his girlfriend, Marianne St-Gelais, who won a silver of her own on her birthday, 10 days earlier in the 500-metre race.

St-Gelais had screamed encouragement from the stands throughout the race, jumping up and down with excitement. When Hamelin won, she raced to rinkside, leaping over railings and throwing her arms around him.

They kissed each other passionately as the crowd roared.

On the ice, confusion reigned briefly as the Koreans complained bitterly about what had happened.

Their whining fell on deaf ears and Canada was awarded the gold and bronze medals.

Ohno blamed a Canadian official for disqualifying him and sourly suggested it was intended to put two home athletes on the podium.

In the 5000-metre relay, the men skated strongly from the start, vying for the lead and then holding off a late challenge from the Koreans.

It was redemption for the speed skaters, who along with other Canadian athletes have been disappointed with their performances in these Games.

At the Vancouver Olympic Centre, for instance, Calgary’s Cheryl Bernard fell short in the 10th and extra ends to lose the gold medal 7-6.

The defending champion Swedish rink of Anette Norberg stole a crucial point in the final end and with it the victory.

Bernard beat the Swedes in their round-robin match on Monday, and held a 6-4 lead going into the 10th end. It should have been enough to win.

Her rink, however, threw sloppy rocks throughout the tournament while managing to come through in the clutch with brilliant shots.

That luck left them Friday and inaccurate tosses cost them.

In the 10th end, Bernard failed to clear Norberg’s penultimate stone from the house and the Swede scored a pair to force the extra end.

Again, after several rocks, Bernard looked to be in control but she came up short with her final throw trying to score a double.

The Swedish team whooped with joy as the Canadians stood crestfallen and the audience sat stunned.

It was not the only disappointment.

Canada’s female speed skaters were shut out of the 1,000-metre medal final and elsewhere, the country’s athletes performed well but failed to mount the podium.

Fortunately, in spite of a nail-biting final period, the marquee men’s hockey team held on to defeat the Slovaks.

A controversial goal late in the first period by Patrick Marleau gave the Canadians the lead and they added another by Brenden Morrow.

Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo was solid in net and the outcome seemed assured, especially when Ryan Getzlaf scored with only three minutes left in the second to make it 3-0.

But the veteran Slovaks — Marian Hossa, Richard Zednik, Pavol Demitra, Miro Satan and Jozef Stumpel — refused to quit.

First, Lubomir Visnovsky broke Luongo’s shutout late in the game, breathing life into the outmatched Slovaks.

Before anyone knew it, Michal Handzus swatted in a rebound.

With almost five minutes remaining, the air went out of Canada Hockey Place.

Over the next wild few minutes the Slovaks poured it on and the Canadians held on by their fingernails.

With only seconds to go, Demitra, who plays for the Vancouver Canucks, had an open net to shoot at.

The crowd gasped as he fired towards the corner.

It sailed wide.

Moments later, the buzzer went and a nation sighed.

Team Canada would get a chance to play for the one medal this country cherishes more than any other: men’s hockey gold.

The USA-Finland playoff, by comparison, was an anticlimactic rout.

The Americans ran roughshod over the Finns 6-1, scoring a half dozen goals in the first period and then cruising through the next two barely breaking a sweat.

"I think that was one of the best games of the tournament because I got to watch most of it," said American goalie Ryan Miller, who was idle for most of it.

The much anticipated Canada-U.S. final will be played Sunday.

The last time the two rivals duelled for gold was at Salt Lake City in 2002. Canada won 5-2.

A nation expects them to repeat. Nothing less will do.

imulgrew@vancouversun.com