The video ended, and Jeff Jackson stepped out on the ice.
He had spent fourteen years coaching on that ice. Moments earlier, as the siren rang to signal No. 3 Michigan State’s 5-2 victory over Notre Dame, the Irish’s 20-year head coach had just finished coaching his final game.
After the long line of handshakes and hugs, a tribute video and some tears, Jackson stepped onto the ice at Compton Family Ice Arena. He was going to do something he rarely, if ever, had done before. Hand in one pocket, he walked down to face the band and the student section. He linked arms with his players. They swayed from side to side.
And the alma mater played.
With that, the Jeff Jackson era, at least at Compton Family Ice Arena, came to a close. 20 seasons, 780 games, 417 wins, five conference tournament titles, four frozen fours and one new rink later, the Notre Dame hockey program reached new heights under Jackson. It has been indelibly changed because of his presence. And it was thanking him in the best way it knows how.
“I usually stand on the bench and watch our guys during the alma mater, and that’s more or less so I don’t kill myself walking on the ice with my shoes, but it’s not a disrespect by any means,” Jackson laughed. “The captains came out to me today and asked me if I’d come out with them to sing the alma mater. I wasn’t going to miss that.”
It is an enduring image that captures an enduring legacy, but Jackson will be the first to point out that his time at Notre Dame isn’t over. His final home series, and final regular season, is in the books. The Irish (10-23-1, 4-19-1 Big Ten) provided no storybook ending this weekend at Compton Family Ice Arena. Up against a Michigan State Spartan team (24-6-4, 15-5-4 Big Ten) motivated by the chance to clinch the Big Ten regular season title, Notre Dame dropped back-to-back 5-2 decisions. But there’s more hockey to be played, at least a little more. Jackson and the Irish will turn the page to a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal series at No. 2 Minnesota beginning next weekend.
“It’s always emotional in these types of situations. I have those conversations all the time with players who are calling their careers, at the end of their careers, and it’s a hard thing,” Jackson said postgame Saturday. “It being the last game here was significant for me, but we still have hockey to play. So until that last buzzer in the last game I coach, it’s a matter of staying focused and just trying to win the next game.”
There should be no doubt that Saturday night’s game, though, should be remembered as a special one. The game itself was rather unremarkable. The NCAA-tournament-bound Spartans outclassed the Irish from the outset. Sitting on 599 career wins, Jackson’s alma mater (he is a Michigan State ‘78 grad) prevented him from reaching number 600 at home. Michigan State recorded their first series sweep since early January, and Notre Dame ended their season losers of seven out of their last eight games.
The remarkable occurred after the game. Each Michigan State Spartan skated over to the Notre Dame bench to shake Jackson’s hand, one-by-one. A litany of alumni faces graced the video board, expressing gratitude for all the coach has meant to them. The remaining crowd rose in a standing ovation, and players and staffers alike exchanged hugs. Even well after the game was over, Notre Dame players remained on the ice, graduating members of the squad taking pictures with teammates and family.
As it usually does at the end of every hockey season, the focus had shifted to where it really ought to be all along.
“I’ve said it all week long, it’s about the people,” Jackson said postgame, choking back tears. "It’s about my coaching staff, it’s about our players. There’s so many guys that [I] have relationships with, I’m so proud of them all. They’re my life.”
In that way, Jeff Jackson’s coaching career at Compton Family Ice Arena ended fittingly Saturday night, arm-in-arm with those who matter most: the people.
