For 6 seasons now this program has either been in neutral

or in reverse. And too often it's been reverse. The effort in the second half of tonight notwithstanding. But when you are down 3-0 halfway through the 1st period, or 5-1 halfway through the game, you're probably not going to win, regardless of the effort. Yes tonight they didn't quit, but competitive division 1 NCAA athletes rarely "quit" so I don't know how much credit they deserve for doing the bare minimum.

Someone mentioned yesterday that Wisconsin wasn't even the best team we've played this year, and I would agree. A couple or three eastern teams are probably better, and I expect that Michigan State, when its all said and done will finish the regular season ahead of Wisconsin. But look at what a difference a coach has made for Wisconsin. We saw that here. 18 years ago.

But for 6 seasons now, since losing in the NCAA tournament final to what was probably the least impressive champion since Michigan State entered the 1966 post-season with a losing record, we have been stuck in the mud. Sometimes over the last couple of seasons it literally looks like the Irish have been skating in mud.

I don't know, maybe the team will realize something positive after scoring as many goals over 19 minutes of the first and second periods tonight as they usually see all weekend. Or maybe they will travel to Columbus next weekend, play like hot garbage, and hand Ohio State their first real league wins. What I do know is this program has been puttering around in neutral for too long now. I also know I have no confidence in the current iteration of their athletic department to right the ship with any program, let alone one that falls as number 4 in the pecking order. They see boxscores with 5000 people showing up and one of the true elder statesmen of the sport behind the bench and I'm sure the powers that be think everything is A-OK. All the while the program is heading towards the kind of irrelevance we put up with for the first 40 years of the program.