By JIM KERNAGHAN -- Free Press Sports Columnist
 SYDNEY -- Wayne Gretzky going out of hockey sitting in the penalty box comes to mind.

 That's the equivalent of what happened to the doubles tennis stars some consider the greatest ever.

 The Woodies, who have ruled the world's pairs for a decade, went through an unbeaten string of all the top tennis tournaments, only to lose in the Olympic gold-medal match to underdog Canadians Sebastien Lareau and Daniel Nestor.

 Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde saw their stranglehold on pairs tennis die before a crushed hometown crowd and it hurt.

 "You don't expect some things to end," said Woodbridge. "When they do come to an end it's, you know, it's sad."

 Australia almost hit deep mourning, since Woodforde will be retiring. Woodbridge now will play doubles with Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman.

 A pained, packed stadium showed enormous grace in cheering the Canadians at the medal podium.

 "I think Nestor held them together," Woodbridge said. "Lareau started terribly and let us get into the match. But Nestor was able to settle him and he served well, he returned well. His first volley was as good as he's ever hit it against us."

 Both felt Nestor played his best game ever against them.