A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

Often attributed to Wayne Gretzky, the line contrasts reactive competence with anticipatory excellence. A “good” player responds to the game as it unfolds—arriving where the puck currently is—while a “great” player reads patterns, predicts likely outcomes, and positions himself in advance. The quote has become a general maxim about strategy: in fast-moving, competitive environments, advantage comes from foresight, preparation, and understanding underlying dynamics rather than merely reacting to surface events. Its enduring appeal lies in how neatly it translates athletic intuition into a broader philosophy of decision-making and leadership.

1) “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”
2) “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”