Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo, left, and U.S. counterpart Ryan Miller, square off in the most important hockey game of their respective careers. (Scott Gardner/Canadian Press)

Bars and restaurants across Toronto saw a flood of hockey fans Sunday afternoon to watch Canada take on the United States in the Olympic men's gold-medal game.

At the Detroit Eatery, an east-end restaurant full of hockey memorabilia, patrons hoping to grab a seat for the game started trickling in early in the afternoon.

The Loose Moose — a popular sports bar on Front Street West — was full by noon, hostess Sahara Peterkin said.

"Everyone is wearing their jerseys, and they're all really excited," she said.

About 30 people — many of them dressed in team jerseys and carrying Canadian flags — were still waiting outside the pub around 1:30 p.m. ET, hoping to get a seat before the puck dropped. Inside, hockey fans dressed in red jockeyed for space around big screen televisions.

'Golden Game' event raises money for charity

Scott McDonald, a local entrepreneur, will use Toronto's passion for hockey to try to raise money for two athletic charities. He's behind a city-wide event called the Golden Game, which encourages bars and restaurants showing the game to raise money for the Canadian Athletes Now Fund and the Right To Play Foundation.

More than 100 bars, restaurants and clubs across the Toronto area are participating. Golden Game organizers are hosting their own event at the Great Hall Theatre on Queen Street West, where ticket holders can watch the game on a towering screen.

The U.S. team beat Canada 5-3 during the preliminary round.