Almost Doesn’t Win Gold
Controlling the Ice vs. Moving the Scoreboard
March, 2026
It may go down as one of the most electrifying hockey games ever played.
The 2026 Olympic gold medal match between the Canadian men's ice hockey team and the United States men's ice hockey team had everything…speed, grit, breakaways, heart-stopping saves, and enough missed open nets to haunt a nation.
For the Americans, it was their first Olympic gold since the legendary “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
That alone would have made headlines.
But what made this game unforgettable was the tension: Canada largely outplayed the Americans. They had more shots, more pressure, more time in the offensive zone. If there had been a medal for “almost,” Canada would have needed extra luggage for the flight home.
But there isn’t.
The U.S. goalie played like a man swatting flies in July…except the flies were frozen pucks traveling 90 miles per hour.
Save after miraculous save.
Meanwhile, Canada rang pucks off posts and somehow missed nets the size of small garage doors.
Then overtime came. One clean look. One finish. Game over.
I’ve lived that story on a smaller stage.
I was 16 years old in the Midget Provincial finals…the biggest hockey weekend of my young life. We fought our way to the gold medal game. I had the game of my life: a hat trick, a couple of moves that surprised even me, the kind of night you dream of as a kid. I even won MVP for that game!
And we lost.
Personal best. Team defeat.
It was a painful but powerful lesson: you can outplay your opponent and still lose. Effort is not the same as execution. Activity is not the same as achievement.
We can dominate in the pregame meeting, win on the whiteboard, control the puck…and still miss the net.
Leadership is not just about controlling the ice. It’s about putting the puck in the net.
In organizations, we often celebrate motion…new initiatives, fresh strategies, bold conversations. All good. But if they don’t translate into actual outcomes, we’re just skating hard, but going in circles.
Great cardio. Poor scoreboard.
You don’t win by “almost”. You win by finishing.
Great leaders understand that thin margin. They build teams that don’t just generate chances…they convert them. They stay composed when the opposing goalie “stands on his head.” They focus relentlessly on what actually moves the scoreboard.
Because in leadership, as in Olympic hockey, you don’t just have to outplay the competition.
You have to outscore them.
Todd Rutkowski
Read more reflections like “Almost Doesn’t Win Gold" in my free ebook called “Lifelines.” Get Lifelines
