Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2019 93 ND SPORTS Ask Jeff Jackson what will force him to finally glide off the ice one final time and hang up his skates for good, and the veteran Notre Dame head hockey coach explains it'll be when he loses the art of self-preservation. Jackson, 63, proclaims that he's still nimble enough on the ice during practice to get the heck out of the way of his fast-rushing Irish players, a vital skill that leaves the reigning National Coach of the Year nowhere near leaving a sport he has spent the last 34 years teaching. "I don't get out of the way as quick as I used to," joked Jackson, now in his 14th season at Notre Dame. "But as long as I can move well enough to get out of their way, spend some time on the bench and I still feel good, I can see doing this for a number of more years." And that's good news for Notre Dame. A winner of two national champion- ships in the early 1990s while coach- ing at Lake Superior State, Jackson has made the Irish hockey program one of the best in the country, evidenced by Frozen Four appearances the last two seasons and four overall during his tenure in South Bend. Grounded in humility, Jackson ap- preciates being celebrated for his postseason successes and even after becoming the all-time winningest hockey coach in Notre Dame history this season, he still refuses to hoard all the credit, instead deflecting the praise to his team and staff. "When your players see that you have great people in every position around you," Jackson said, "it makes it a lot easier for them to understand the importance of teamwork, and hard work, and discipline." And Irish junior captain Andrew Peeke said a selfless attitude is the foundation of Jackson's coaching style and approach to his players. "He puts a big emphasis on team culture and building off of that," Peeke said. "The relationships that you build within the team are going to carry you the furthest, so he really focuses on that." Jackson took on the restoration project at Notre Dame in 2005 after a brief stint as an assistant coach with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. The Irish were coming off a 5-27-6 season — its worst in school history — and had reached the NCAA Tournament only once in the previous 37 years. "At that time," Jackson recalled, "there was no place to go but up." Two seasons later, Jackson's Irish were ranked No. 1 in both college hockey polls for the first time in school history and back in the NCAA Tournament. Staying true to form, Jackson shifts all the credit for the immediate turnaround to his players. "For me, it was just a matter of reshaping the culture of the program," he explained, "teaching the guys the commitment level and the discipline it takes to be a great athlete and a great student-athlete." With an impressive résumé that in- cluded professional experience, two national championships in college and three years as head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team, Jackson became the obvious choice to lead Irish hockey from afterthought to relevance, said former Notre Dame athletics direc- tor Kevin White, the man who hired Jackson. "We were unequivocally convinced that Jeff Jackson was the very best coach in the country," said White, pass- ing most of the hiring credit onto Tom Nevala, the veteran senior associate athletics director at Notre Dame, who chaired the search team in 2005 to find the next Irish hockey coach. "Jeff's record of success as a two-time NCAA championship head coach, the endorsement of his former players and his philosophy of coaching," Nevala said, "certainly indicated that he would be a great fit at Notre Dame." A solid support staff and a promising roster were both in place when Jack- son accepted the position, calling his decision a "no-brainer" because of a lifelong admiration for the university's mission statement and history of ath- letic achievement. Facilities? Those were a different story. Remember, Jackson took over a pro- gram and had to recruit a team that played in the old, dingy north dome of the former Athletics and Convocation Center, seven years removed from the opening of the beautiful Compton Family Ice Arena. "The facilities weren't where they needed to be," Jackson said. "But everything else was in place to build a great program." Check and checkmate. So what's next Coach Jackson? "I aspire to win a national championship while I'm here, that would be the final objective," he said. "Everything else has been done as far as making sure our players become good citizens, and they graduate. "There's a lot to be proud of but there is still that one piece of the puzzle that is missing." — Todd D. Burlage Maneuverability Has Been Vital To Jeff Jackson's Longevity Jackson has led Notre Dame to the Frozen Four each of the last two seasons and has four appear- ances overall with the Irish. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND