Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I can't believe I'm following anything on Twitter except the peewee singing outside my window, but Calle Ridderwall got a job. Good luck to him!

[mcfarljd]

Looking forward to checking out your new barn next season (and then some if you go national). Ive been to the joyce, and remember growing up in the old days of the original goggin and now goggin 2.0, I know how pumped you all are.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

As we near an announcement as to the intentions of our beloved team, I'll pose part three of the questions leading into the upcoming season: What are your 3 favorite ND hockey moments at the JACC? For me...

1. Jan. 22, 1982. There was an ice storm and my brother and I had to talk my mom into letting us go to the game (my brother was a teenage driver at the time). ND was playing then-powerhouse Bowling Green. We had started to turn the season around and a chance to see them possibly beat BG was uppermost in my mind. ND won the game in OT 9-8.

2. Dec. 10, 1994. ND hosted Miami. This was also an OT game, but the exact opposite of the aforementioned. This game was a 0-0 tie and it was phenomenal. Particularly the goaltending. At the time this was the first scoreless OT game in CCHA history. Miami has since had another.

3. Feb. 24, 2007. While much of the crowd had already left after the victory, the rest of us who stayed got to witness the unfurling of the regular season champs banner. The crowd may have been small, but the cheer was deafening.

So, what are your 3 favorite?

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I am actually starting to get worried that Notre Dame is seriously considering the Independent route, which I think is a mistake of gigantic proportion. I don't think off the cuff remarks are made very often by ND administrators, so have to think that Tom Nevala wouldn't all of a sudden have a lapse of judgment when he made that remark all those weeks ago. I wish someone would seriously disabuse me of this uncomfortable feeling I have been having the last few days.

[Savage]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I fit sort of an odd demographic. I'm not an old-time follower of ND hockey, but I'm also not one of the newbies who started following Irish hockey only once Jackson got here and raised the program's standard of play.

Of the games since I've been going, a few stand out. Here's three that come to mind, though I can't swear that they're truly my 3 favorite JACC hockey moments, but here we go anyway:

10/22/04: In an otherwise dreadful year ("who cares, we still suck, especially that guy"?) that would end up being Dave Poulin's final year at the helm, Notre Dame hockey provided one shining moment. One of their 5 wins on the year was a stunning 3-2 upset of #1 BC. ND got up 2-0 before BC pulled back with two goals within a minute in the middle of the 3rd. BC was dominating and looked sure to find the net for the winning goal throughout much of the remaining time, but Morgan Cey made 50 saves and T.J. Jindra pulled out a SHORTY in the dying seconds to send BC home defeated.

12/13/09: The Irish were stumbling down the stretch and absolutely decimated by injuries -- if I recall correctly, the lines sheet didn't even fill out due to a shortage of dressed players -- and Jackson went with the Torpedo formation. The guys were completely gassed from overshifting, especially those who were being asked to play shifts as part of their own lines along with shifts as one of the defensive triad. But Mike Johnson was excellent, the Torpedo worked, and the arena absolutely buzzed as numerous students showed up for the big UM game during reading period and the Irish pulled it out 2-0.

Much of the 2006/7 season: his one isn't as concrete, to be sure, but I smile just thinking about it ... After several years of practically having a pizza per student over in the old student bleachers opposite the ND bench, it was truly fantastic to find students camping out for hours before each game to be assured of a spot on the glass (or a ticket at all!) in Section 6 as ND climbed to the top of the polls. I can picture it so clearly -- the students standing out in the plaza outside the North Dome with ushers making sure everyone was keeping warm and passing out cups of hot chocolate. ND may not be a "hockey school" relative to the traditional powers of the sport, but dang if that wasn't a pretty sight. ... Within a couple seasons, the "barcalounger" seating behind the penalty boxes was gone and additional student seating replaced it. And within a couple more seasons we're now seeing a new building with more than 1000 spaces for students built in. But all that stems from that first magical fall and winter when the campus fell in love with Jeff Jackson hockey.

(Some other contenders off the top of my head: the banner raising/unfurlings, as mentioned by JJFP; Mark Van Guilder's senior day; the "shirt off our backs" Wounded Warriors game; the Alaska game before Christmas break when the band broke out in "O Greentree, O Greentree, how ugly God hath made thee"; meeting the team at the JACC in the wee hours of the morning when they returned from winning the regional to send them to Denver)

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

part three of the questions leading into the upcoming season: What are your 3 favorite ND hockey moments at the JACC?

In no particular order and not sure if these are even the top 3 because after 450 or so games seen at the Joyce I can't remember the details of all of them:

1. 1/22/82. Like my sister (JJfP) this one has always been a favorite. An added note to the game, Notre Dame was down 4-0 by the time we got to the JACC late in the first period. The JACC held 4200 people then and memory says it was sold out so it was a lot of people making very little noise. The comeback and OT win got them noisy.

2. 2/27/07. Notre Dame and Miami played to a 2-all tie. Miami was the defending CCHA champs and Blasi had already put together a couple of 20+ win seasons, so all knew they were good. Even though Notre Dame came into the game ranked higher, people were still saying it was a mirage and we would buckle eventually playing the top teams. We had won pretty easily the previous night, but Miami took a 2-0 lead late into the third period. Notre Dame tied it with two quick goals (second was with maybe 2 minutes left) and the place was positively nuts. Loud as any game I've been to there. This game is exhibit #1 on why the shootout is an unnecessary evil in hockey. No Miami fan felt like the outcome was good. No Notre Dame fan had any reason to walk out of the JACC feeling anything BUT good. It was at that game I think I finally realized that things were changing for good around Notre Dame hockey.

3. 2/11/83. This one was just goofy. Notre Dame stunk. Bowling Green was still really good, eventually winning the CCHA for the 5th time. But we had a good weekend against them, including this 4-4 tie. The interesting thing was BG scored TWO OT goals. But after both goals, Notre Dame had the stick of the goal scorer checked and both times the sticks were found to be illegal. Each goal waved off, and two minor penalties assessed to BG.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

1. 1/22/82. Like my sister (JJfP) this one has always been a favorite. An added note to the game, Notre Dame was down 4-0 by the time we got to the JACC late in the first period.

I sat behind the bench at this game and I remember one of the regulars with a booming voice (Doug ???) leaned over the glass and shouted at the players, cheering them on, telling them they could come back. And they listened!

3. 2/11/83. This one was just goofy. Notre Dame stunk. Bowling Green was still really good, eventually winning the CCHA for the 5th time. But we had a good weekend against them, including this 4-4 tie. The interesting thing was BG scored TWO OT goals. But after both goals, Notre Dame had the stick of the goal scorer checked and both times the sticks were found to be illegal. Each goal waved off, and two minor penalties assessed to BG.

The headline for the SBT article on the game read "Irish stick tie on BG." Mike Collins was the PA guy and I remember him saying they may as well have been playing with circles the curvature was so drastic.

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

Well, it appears the CCHA will be no more, or a rosier way to put it is that the remnants of the CCHA and the remnants of the WCHA have decided to join one another and form the Remnant League of College Hockey, or RLCH for short. Part of me hopes they are plotting the demise of a certain former CCHA head, but oh well. This means that ND better get out there and frickin' ANNOUNCE WHAT YOU PLAN TO DO!! Good Lord Almighty, what are you waiting for, a gold embossed invitation from Lord Stanley himself??

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

The headline for the SBT article on the game read "Irish stick tie on BG." Mike Collins was the PA guy and I remember him saying they may as well have been playing with circles the curvature was so drastic.

I remember those days. It was back when the local paper actualy covered hockey.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

Good Lord Almighty, what are you waiting for, a gold embossed invitation from Lord Stanley himself??

No, that would be from the Pope.

NCHC, here we come...

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

It's the first day of September. It was 95 degrees out today. I got in my pool. So...naturally my thoughts turn to hockey. Season tickets should be mailed out within 2 weeks. Wonder what they'll look like... Individual game tickets go on sale in 3 weeks, but the BC game is already sold out. Not really sure how that happened. One month from today, the team takes the ice for the first official practice with all coaches. One month and one day from now and they take the ice for the first game situation. We are 10 weeks away from what will likely be the first games in the new arena. While I'm at it...there are only 114 shopping days left til Christmas.

Now if we just had the answer to the $64,000 question.

[BC/HE]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

It's the first day of September. It was 95 degrees out today. I got in my pool. So...naturally my thoughts turn to hockey. Season tickets should be mailed out within 2 weeks. Wonder what they'll look like... Individual game tickets go on sale in 3 weeks, but the BC game is already sold out. Not really sure how that happened. One month from today, the team takes the ice for the first official practice with all coaches. One month and one day from now and they take the ice for the first game situation. We are 10 weeks away from what will likely be the first games in the new arena. While I'm at it...there are only 114 shopping days left til Christmas.

Now if we just had the answer to the $64,000 question.

I would guess that BC asked for a large allotment of tickets and was given it.

[NDgolden]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I would guess that BC asked for a large allotment of tickets and was given it.

The game as I understand will have numerous dedications for all of those who have contributed greatly to the funding of the arena. Also past players and leaders of the hockey program will be acknowledged. This combined with their tickets for their families has lead to the most sought after ticket this season. Should be a fantastic night.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I would hope that tickets were offered to any program alum. Perhaps a few who haven't made it back since they graduated can make it back for this one. Kevin Humphreys, you out there???

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey: JACC we hardly knew ye

I would hope that tickets were offered to any program alum. Perhaps a few who haven't made it back since they graduated can make it back for this one. Kevin Humphreys, you out there???

I'm hoping for John Schmidt. He couldn't even make it to the pick up game we played at the FF with the Regans, Van Guilders, et al. And he lives right there!

Speaking of that pick up game...thinking back to the question Mark Van Guilder's dad asked me: "What do you think will become of the CCHA and WCHA now that the Big10 teams are leaving?" My response was: "Nothing." Man, Mark, you shoulda taken that bet! My how things have changed.

It has recently dawned on me that this fall will mark the 35th anniversary of my (and WANDH's) very first ND hockey game.

One last random hockey thought as I come down from a sugar high: What will become of our CCHA banners when the CCHA ceases to exist? Will they still hang in the rafters?