I sat in an arena in Milan, watching my client score Canada's only goal in an Olympic gold-medal game.

Then I watched them lose in overtime.

Most people looking from the outside would call that trip a waste. It’s a contract year, and I had multiple client conflicts back home. I hopped on an international flight, spent thousands of dollars, and watched her walk away with a silver medal.

But here is what they miss: I flew home with something far more valuable than a gold-medal photo op. I left with absolute certainty about who Kristin O'Neill is when everything is on the line.

That clarity changes everything about how I’ll advocate for her.

I drafted this piece at Milan’s airport, but I’m releasing it now because Kristin just signed with the expansion team in San Jose as a foundational franchise player. It's proof that what I witnessed in that arena wasn’t just a flash in the pan—it was a turning point.

The Calculation Nobody Talks About

Let’s be completely honest about the decision to board that plane.

Kristin was having a strong tournament, but we were in a high-stakes contract year, and I had other client obligations. I didn't book my flight until Canada officially secured its spot in the gold medal game.

That’s not the inspirational story people want to hear. They want the fairytale: that I committed early, that I believed blindly from day one, and that emotion trumped economics.

But that’s not how real life works. I made a cold, calculated decision based on three factors:

• Contract Timing: We were heading into a massive free-agency window.

• Moment Magnitude: The sheer pressure of a US vs. Canada Olympic Final.

• The Narrative Arc: Kristin was an alternate at the last Olympics. She watched her team win gold from the sidelines. She’s been grinding through her national team career and her PWHL stint, the player everyone knows is great but who hadn't yet secured the defining proof.

This wasn’t just another game. It was her convergence point.

Most agents focus exclusively on the 20% of a player they can measure in spreadsheets—the box scores and baseline stats. I was betting heavily on the 80% you can't quantify.

Strategic Presence vs. Performative Support

I use a specific framework to determine which client moments warrant a last-minute international flight: Will being there change how I understand their value?

I'm not asking, "Is this a big game?" Just showing up to take a photo next to a trophy is performative. That’s chasing clout for your own social media feed.

The real question is whether your physical presence yields deep, proprietary knowledge you cannot obtain any other way, knowledge that fundamentally alters how you negotiate, advocate, or invest in that human being going forward.

Some achievements speak for themselves. Some achievements need a witness.

Kristin was at a crossroads where my presence would amplify something meaningful: the journey from Olympic alternate to the lone goal-scorer on the world's biggest stage. The ultimate underdog finally getting her proof. Not every client is at that exact intersection. But when they are, you book the flight.

What You Actually See When You're There

Stats don’t show you how a human being carries the psychological weight of a nation. Film doesn't capture the suffocating tension of an arena or the ice-water-in-the-veins composure it takes to score when the world is watching.

When you are physically in the building, you notice the micro-moments:

• The posture during a gruelling shift change.

• The positioning away from the puck.

• The refusal to shrink when everyone else looks tired.

I watched Kristin deliver against a stacked, relentless US team while playing alongside future Hall of Famers who couldn't find the back of the net that night. The team was loaded with veterans and All-Stars, yet they didn’t score. Kristin did.

That was her moment of arrival. The scoreboard in overtime is entirely irrelevant to that fact.

The Signals That Matter

When you show up, you send signals that ripple through the entire ecosystem of a sport:

• To the Family: Her parents saw me in the stands. That matters more than people realize. They watched their daughter’s agent fly across the Atlantic just to be there. Our post-game conversations weren't hollow, congratulatory texts; they were raw, sharing real-time experiences.

• To the Industry: Scouts, GMs, and rival executives saw me in the building. It’s an undeniable statement that our agency believes in her at the very top of the sport.

• To Myself: The biggest shift was internal. I understand her value differently now. When I sit at the negotiating table, I’m not just representing a player whose data I manage. I’m representing a player whose defining competitive fire I have personally witnessed.

Redefining the ROI

Traditional metrics focus entirely on deliverables, commissions, and immediate revenue, all of which are easily measured.

The real equity lies in trust, conviction, reputational capital, and relationship depth. Flying to Milan didn't make sense on a standard ROI spreadsheet, but intangible returns compound exponentially over time.

I left Italy with an unshakable conviction in Kristin's value—conviction that directly informed the historic contract she just signed with San Jose. Her parents know that her representation shows up when the stakes are highest. The hockey world knows our agency invests at the elite level. Most importantly, Kristin knows she had a witness to her arrival.

Next time you face a tough choice about whether to show up for a client, a colleague, or a partner, stop asking whether it’s "important."

Ask yourself: Will I know something afterward that changes how I operate?

If showing up only gives you a better Instagram post, stay home. If it gives you conviction, you can't get on a screen, book the flight.