He joins a list that features icons like Babe Ruth (who served for just five days, but … it counts), Lou Gehrig, Thurman Munson, Don Mattingly and, most recently, Derek Jeter. He’s the face of one of North America’s premier sports franchises, a celebrity in one of the world’s biggest cities. One day, his plaque likely will sit in Monument Park for his great-great grandchildren to see.
There are also the responsibilities. Like setting the tone for the team. Representing the community. Hearing complaints about airplane food.
*blinks*
Wait, what?
Just ask Ron Guidry, a Yankees captain from 1986 to 1989. The former Cy Young Award winner told ESPN he once had to walk, in full uniform, into the office of the famously mercurial — and intimidating — George Steinbrenner to talk to the owner, not about pennant races or the finer points of pitching, but about the sorry state of the team’s in-flight meals.
It’s all in a day’s work for the captain of the Yankees.
Those duties now fall onto the shoulders of Judge, from what we’ll see him do every day on the field, to what we’ll never see him have to do away from it.
“We had [player] meetings because the food on the flights wasn’t good,” Guidry recalled. “Who are you gonna complain to? The players don’t want to stir the pot with the manager or ownership. They come to you, and you make a note as the captain and you have to talk to someone. You’re a spokesperson.”
Guidry said he first approached manager Billy Martin, but he could barely get a word in before Martin, a legendary figure in his own right, stopped him.
“Not my department,” Martin announced. “Go talk to the man upstairs.”
So Guidry called the Yankees executive suite and asked the switchboard operator if Steinbrenner was in. When she gave him the greenlight, Guidry ran upstairs — still wearing his pinstripes.
“What’s your problem now?” Steinbrenner asked.
“I don’t have a problem with you,” Guidry replied. “Your team does.”
Steinbrenner listened as Guidry channeled his inner Jerry Seinfeld and passed on the word that the food on the team’s flights had not been up to par. Players had stopped eating it, and when they arrived in their destination cities late at night, all the restaurants typically were closed.
“I’ll take care of it,” Steinbrenner told him.
By the time the Yankees next went on the road, the team had changed airline carriers. Their first meal on the new airline? Chateaubriand steak and lobster tail.
WHEN THE YANKEES named Judge captain late last month, after the slugger signed a nine-year, $360 million contract to remain in the Bronx, the team brought out the full pomp and circumstance for the occasion. Jeter — who produced an ESPN documentary series last year called The Captain, based on his career — and Willie Randolph — Guidry’s co-captain from 1986 to 1988 — attended the press conference to help pass the baton.
Jeter and Randolph know the job comes with the increased scrutiny of Yankees fans. But the leadership title also brings many behind-the-scenes responsibilities — and, as Guidry learned, some extra clout with the bosses, too.
“I don’t have a problem with you. Your team does.”
Former captain Ron Guidry, lodging a complaint about airplane food to then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner
“There’s a certain pride and strut when you know that, ‘Hey, I’m the captain of the New York Yankees,'” Randolph said. “You feel responsibility in your preparation in spring training, in the offseason, to not just think about yourself, your teammates, how you can motivate them to be champions. It’s a 24/7 mentality that you need to carry, even when the season is over.”
It’s a role Judge has grown into through the years, particularly over the course of his historic 2022 season. The leadership transition started during his historic rookie season in 2017 — when he hit a rookie record 52 homers — as veteran teammates handed him the controls to the clubhouse Spotify account. Seven seasons into his career, Judge remains the Yankees unofficial DJ before and after games.
As Judge chased and ultimately surpassed Roger Maris’ American League single-season home run record last year, his influence transcended his playlist. His consistent pregame preparation inspired teammates. Through the ups and downs of the season, they looked to Judge for guidance — like him, never getting too high, never getting too low. By the end of the season, teammates were calling him the captain of the team, even if Judge didn’t formally hold the title yet. Still, when Hal Steinbrenner offered it to him in December, he was stunned.
Said Judge: “I was at a loss for words.”
Guidry and Randolph had also become the clubhouse choice for captain before Hal’s father officially anointed them. Both players had spent nearly a decade with the team and were the team’s longest-tenured players when they got the call.
“It’s a tremendous honor to get it solidified,” Randolph said, “but you grow into your leadership role. Everyone’s different, you can’t put a stamp on how someone did it. You have to do it the way you feel comfortable doing it. You gotta be yourself. People can smell when you’re not being authentic.”
For Jeter, Judge’s authenticity is self-evident.
“It’s not like you flip a switch and have to be someone else because you’ve been given this title,” Jeter said. “I would assume he’s been handling himself like a captain up until this point, which is why they named him captain.”
The tradition of Yankees captain dates back to future Hall of Famer Clark Griffith, who held the title from 1903 to 1905, though the role was left unfilled for nearly 40 years following the untimely retirement of Gehrig in 1939, due to ALS. Guidry learned what the captaincy means by watching Munson, the first player to take the mantle after Gehrig. Munson served as captain of the Yankees from 1976 to 1979, until a plane crash took his life. Guidry debuted for the Yankees in 1975 and spent the first four years of his career around the catcher.
“He didn’t have to tell you how to be a leader,” Guidry said. “If you’re on a team and you have a captain, you just watch how he performs the task of being a captain. When he speaks, what he says, when he picks the time, does he leave you alone, does he take you off on the side? Does he call a team meeting or leave the team alone?”
During one winning streak, Guidry remembers players in the Yankees clubhouse getting excited, but Munson immediately threw water on the fire — telling the group not to get too “slap happy.”
“What are you gonna say when you go into a five-game losing streak?” Munson told the clubhouse.
Said Guidry: “It would bring us right down to being level-headed again. It took 15 seconds, but those 15 seconds had a lot of weight behind it.”
Munson’s biggest impact, according to Guidry, came in 1978, when the Yankees found themselves 14 games behind the Boston Red Sox for first place at the All-Star break. New York was struggling with injuries and didn’t have many of its best players on the field throughout the early part of the season.
“He kept us all together,” Guidry said. “We knew we were good, but what was going on was not working for us. It seemed like everything was against us. But all of a sudden, you keep playing and you keep plugging away and then all of sudden, you rip off five, six, seven games in a row.”
The Yankees would eventually win the World Series after climbing all the way back in the division, then beating Boston in the AL East tiebreaker game on a go-ahead home run from Bucky Dent.
“He told us to be patient with everything, and it all came true,” Guidry said. “He always picked the right time to bring it out. He made you feel like you were gonna win. So when I became the captain with Willie, I knew what I needed to do.”
Guidry and Randolph said being a sounding board was among their most important responsibilities. That meant listening to teammates vent about their frustrations on the field, and sometimes serving as an intermediary between players and management.
But the responsibilities extend beyond the ballpark, as Yankees fans look to the captain as a role model in the community. Guidry said he was always careful about where he went because he did not want to get bad press for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He avoided downtown Manhattan so he didn’t get mobbed by fans, but when he encountered them, he tried to keep negative thoughts to himself.
“Sometimes you have to bite your tongue because people are really disgruntled when the team isn’t doing well,” Guidry said. “They have something to say and what they’re saying is not something you want to hear. You can’t get into an argument with them because if somebody snaps a picture and it gets out, then what you’ve been preaching in the clubhouse, you’re a hypocrite doing the opposite.”
Randolph always thought about how he carried himself — from his body language on the field and in the streets, to his choice of words.
“You have to embody all the cliches,” Randolph said. “Take things day by day, stay even keel. But it has to be natural.”
JUDGE KNOWS HE has a lot to live up to.
“I look back at the list of Thurman Munson, Lou Gehrig, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly,” Judge said. “That’s a pretty good list right there.”
Judge often gets compared to Jeter for the way he interacts with the media, rarely giving a quote that could ruffle someone the wrong way or cause controversy. Beyond that, Jeter sees similarities between himself and his successor.
“In terms of mindset and what’s most important in terms of winning, he has that same mindset.”
Jeter said he hasn’t been around the team enough to make further comparisons. Instead, the Hall of Fame shortstop pointed to the current Yankees clubhouse for proof Judge can handle the job.
“Talk to his teammates, talk to his coaches. talk to his manager,” Jeter said. “I mean, [manager Aaron Boone] spoke for what? Thirty-five minutes [at the press conference]? You listen to everyone speak about him and that tells you all you need to know.”
Jeter made a point to remind Judge the title isn’t just an ego boost. It’s a responsibility.
“Yankee fans are big on history and tradition,” Jeter said. “It’s not a title that’s thrown around too lightly.”
Judge takes the newfound weight on his shoulders seriously.
“Not only great players, but great ambassadors of the game and great ambassadors of the New York Yankees,” Judge said. “This is an incredible honor I don’t take lightly.”
And if he needs any advice, say on how to handle complaints about airplane food?
Hockey fans are close to knowing the identities of the 16 Stanley Cup playoff teams for 2025. But the battles for seeding continue to rage — as does the jockeying for position in the draft lottery order.
Here’s what to monitor during Thursday’s 10-game slate — and we hope you can watch on multiple devices!
These two Original Six franchises will be back in the postseason again at some point, but not this season. Chicago begins the night second in the draft lottery order, three points back of the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins are fourth heading into Thursday night, tied in points with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Red Wings begin the evening eight points behind the Canadiens for the final wild-card spot in the East (Tuesday’s loss to Montreal certainly didn’t help). A regulation loss here eliminates them. After their win Tuesday over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Panthers are right back in the race atop the Atlantic Division. As play begins Thursday, the Leafs are No. 1 with 100 points and 39 regulation wins, the Tampa Bay Lightning are second (97, 39) and the Panthers are third (94, 36).
The Sabres picked a strange time to go on a heater, as they are 8-2-0 in their last 10; maybe there will be some carry-over to start 2025-26? In any event, Buffalo begins the evening eighth in the draft lotto order, three spots (and three points) ahead of Columbus. The Blue Jackets stayed in the playoff race probably longer than anyone outside their dressing room believed they would, but they’ll be officially eliminated with another loss.
There was some nastiness the last time these two squads played; will we see retribution — particularly against Carolina’s Jalen Chatfield — on Thursday? As for the long-term impact, Washington is locked in as the No. 1 seed in the Metro, and Carolina needs one point to clinch the No. 2 seed over the New Jersey Devils.
From two Metro teams that have clinched a playoff spot to two who are on the cusp of elimination (after qualifying last spring). This rivalry game has a bit less juice than usual given the reality of the mathematics. The Rangers are currently 10th in the draft lottery order, the Isles 12th.
If the Stars have plans to overtake the Jets for the top overall seed in the West, they’ll need to win this one. Winnipeg enters the game four points (and one regulation win) ahead. So it’s not completely a must-win for the Stars’ quest for the No. 1 spot, but it’d certainly be a lot better for those chances if they won.
The Canucks were officially eliminated Wednesday night, and are currently 15th in the draft lottery order, a point back of the Hockey Club. As for the Avalanche, they are nearly locked into position as the Central’s No. 3 seed.
The HC has been playing inspired hockey as of late, but it was too late to get the final playoff spot, as they were eliminated Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Nashville begins play third in the draft lotto order, 10 points behind Chicago and seven ahead of the No. 4 Flyers.
This wasn’t the best season in Seattle Kraken history, though the club will likely get a top-10 draft pick this summer to continue the build; heading into Thursday, the Kraken are sixth in the draft lottery order, one point behind the Flyers and Bruins, and two ahead of the Penguins and Sabres.
Speaking of the Ducks, a win over their SoCal rivals would diminish the Kings’ chances of catching Vegas for the No. 1 seed in the Pacific; L.A. begins the evening six points back.
With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 76 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 5 Points pace: 80.9 Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 73 Regulation wins: 25 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 75.8 Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Metro Division
Points: 107 Regulation wins: 42 Playoff position: M1 Games left: 5 Points pace: 114.0 Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 88.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 64 Regulation wins: 23 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 67.3 Next game: @ UTA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 54 Regulation wins: 19 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 56.8 Next game: @ BOS (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Pacific Division
Points: 103 Regulation wins: 43 Playoff position: P1 Games left: 4 Points pace: 108.3 Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 97 Regulation wins: 39 Playoff position: P3 Games left: 5 Points pace: 103.3 Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 100% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 95 Regulation wins: 33 Playoff position: P2 Games left: 4 Points pace: 99.9 Next game: vs. SJ (Friday) Playoff chances: 99.6% Tragic number: N/A
Points: 88 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 92.5 Next game: vs. MIN (Friday) Playoff chances: 11.3% Tragic number: 4
Points: 85 Regulation wins: 27 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 89.4 Next game: @ COL (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 78 Regulation wins: 24 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 82.0 Next game: @ LA (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 74 Regulation wins: 28 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 3 Points pace: 76.8 Next game: @ VGK (Thursday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Points: 51 Regulation wins: 14 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 4 Points pace: 53.6 Next game: @ EDM (Friday) Playoff chances: 0% Tragic number: E
Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
There were plenty of goals scored in the NHL on Wednesday night, and four players accounted for a bulk of them.
Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini traded hat tricks in one contest, and Toronto’s Matthew Knies and Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster also had three-goal games. The four three-goal efforts in the first three games of the five-game schedule were the most in the NHL since five hat tricks on April 1, 2023.
In the highest scoring game of the night, Eriksson Ek had a career-high four goals in his return from a lower-body injury in the Wild’s 8-7 overtime victory over the Sharks. San Jose was led by Celebrini, a rookie star who finished with three goals and two assists.
Knies had his second hat trick of the season for the Maple Leafs in a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Foerster posted his first NHL hat trick for the Flyers in an 8-5 win over the New York Rangers.
The NHL had three three-hat trick days this season on Dec. 12, Dec. 27, Jan. 8 and April 5.
Having clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2017 on Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators are considering holding out injured captain Brady Tkachuk for the final four regular-season games.
Tkachuk, 25, has missed the past five games with an upper-body injury suffered on a hit from Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Graves in the host Penguins’ 1-0 overtime victory on March 30.
Senators general manager Steve Staios said Wednesday that Tkachuk might play if the playoffs started Thursday, but he couldn’t give a definitive answer.
“[Tkachuk] continues to progress,” said Staios, also the team’s president of hockey operations. “Now that we’ve clinched a playoff spot, I think every team goes through these discussions. Like, what is the best situation? Do you rest players? How do you manage that? We haven’t figured that part out yet, but to me, you always want to keep the team moving along and competing at a high level to roll into the playoffs at the right time. But certainly, those will be discussions that we’ll have, as far as lineup for the last four games.”
Tkachuk has a team highs with 29 goals and 123 penalty minutes, as well as 26 assists, a plus-2 rating, 33 blocks and 227 hits in 71 games.
The Senators (42-30-6, 90 points) have the first wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. Their regular-season schedule continues Friday with a visit from the Montreal Canadiens, followed by home games against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chicago on Tuesday and Carolina on April 17.
Ottawa selected Tkachuk with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, a year after the Senators lost to the Penguins in the conference finals. He made his NHL debut in 2018 and has 191 goals, 404 points, 750 penalty minutes, 193 blocks and 1,758 hits in 511 regular-season games.