TORONTO (AFP) - Canada squeezed past Finland 3-2 here in the final of the World Cup of Hockey, sending a hockey-mad nation into raptures and extending its reign as undisputed champion on international ice.

Canada cruised through the eight-nation tournament with six straight wins under the same braintrust, led by retired hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, that won the nation's first Olympic hockey gold in 50 years in 2002.

Canadians also have won two straight World Championships.

Shane Doan, one of the least heralded players on Canada's roster of young guns and future Hall of Famers, potted the winning score just 34 seconds into the third period, writing his name in the lore of his hockey-loving homeland.

Doan, of the National Hockey League Phoenix Coyotes that are minority-owned by Gretzky, beat Finnish goaltender Mikka Kiprusoff from the top of the crease, killing off the plucky Finns who had twice rallied from a goal down.

"This is incredible, this whole experience is incredible," Doan said.

But euphoria over the victory was tainted by a labour lockout due to start Wednesday in the NHL, where most of the World Cup's players carve out a lucrative living.

With NHL owners determined to force a salary cap on players, this might have been the last elite-level matchup for months, if not years.

An emotional Gretzky however was jubilant in Canada's riotous dressing room after the game, where the glass and gold World Cup trophy sat on a vast Canadian flag spread between the players' stalls.

"This is one of the most special groups of young men I have ever been around," he said.

"We are a very proud nation. We are very proud of our game."

Finland, with a physical style unusual for European teams, frustrated Canada's stacked forward lines throughout the game.

But coach Raimo Summanen said they made too many defensive mistakes to threaten the Canadians.

"We could play better I know that. But I'm proud of our players," he said.

They had even looked poised for a giant killing after Tuomo Ruutu skipped past three Canadian players and powered a shot past Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur to even the score at 2-2 in the final minute of the second period.

Nursing a bruised wrist, Brodeur was back in net after missing Canada's 4-3 nail-biting overtime victory over the Czech Republic in the semi-final.

But he still seemed handicapped, unable to mount the forays out of his net that almost turn him into a third defenceman.

Canada had looked set to coast to victory after beating the feared Kiprusoff just 52 seconds into the game, forcing the visitors to overturn their normally defensive game plan.

Veteran Mario Lemieux, one of the most gifted players ever to lace up skates, pirouetted past a Finnish defenseman at the blueline and set up a late arriving Joe Sakic in the slot.

Canada then camped in the Finnish zone, Kiprusoff making several huge stops before the Finns surprisingly tied it up when Riku Hahl tipped a point shot from Toni Lydman through Brodeur's legs.

Defensemen Scott Niedermayer put the Olympic champions ahead again in the second period, flying up the left wing and unleashed a shot which dribbled through the legs of Kiprusoff, who failed to recreate the form which rode his Calgary Flames to the Stanley Cup finals.

Finland, who finished top of a European qualification group against more established powers like the Czechs and Sweden, were hailed as national heroes in their homeland just for reaching the final.

They had pulled of a major upset by downing the United States, winners of the World Cup of Hockey the last time it was held in 1996, in the semi-finals.

Hours after Lemieux skated the World Cup trophy round the ice in Toronto, the NHL Board of Governors were to meet Wednesday morning in New York to authorize the lockout, which will cancel training camps and shut down the billion-dollar league.

NHL owners say they need cost certainty with player salaries tied to revenues but the players have rejected any form of salary cap.