The Melting Ice Cube: Why Progress Feels Invisible Until It Isn’t

There’s a concept I wish I understood earlier in my career—not just as a goalie, but as a person.

It’s the idea of the melting ice cube.

Picture this: you walk into a cold room, and there’s an ice cube sitting on a table. The room is 25°F. Then it’s 26°. Then 27°. Then 28°, 29°, 30°, 31°… and nothing seems to happen. But then—at 32°F—the ice starts to melt.

Did that last 1 degree of heat make the difference? Or was it the slow, silent buildup of all the previous degrees?

That’s the way progress works. In goaltending. In fitness. In business. In life.

Most people quit at 29°.

Why? Because they can’t see the change. They don’t feel the results. And that’s where we lose so many talented goalies, athletes, and people with ambition—they don’t realize how close they are to the breakthrough. They think it’s not working because nothing is visibly changing. But it is.

Why This Matters for Young Goalies

Goaltending is one of the most mentally demanding positions in sports. The position constantly challenges your patience, your confidence, and your commitment. Improvement doesn’t always feel linear. Sometimes you feel worse before you get better. You can train for weeks without seeing any major difference—and then one day, things just click.

That’s the melting point.

I believe every goalie needs to understand this early. Not just for their development on the ice, but for their mindset off the ice. If you’re consistent, if you’re deliberate, if you show up and put in the work—even when it doesn’t feel like it’s paying off—you are stacking degrees. You’re heating up the ice cube.

Takeaway for Athletes (and Anyone with Big Goals)

The melting ice cube is a reminder to trust the process. It’s about learning to fall in love with the unseen progress. You might not get praise right away. You might not see the external changes. But something is shifting. Internally. Technically. Mentally.

Then one day, you’ll hit your 32° moment. And everything will change—seemingly all at once.

But it wasn’t all at once. It was built in silence.

So if you’re out there grinding, training, and not seeing the instant results—good. You’re doing it right. Stay with it. Stack the degrees.

Your ice cube will melt.

– Coach Cory

IQ Goaltending