So what if Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler is still getting, uh, ribbed by teammates for appearing in ESPN The Magazine‘s “Body Issue” two years after the fact?
The risk of heckling teammates didn’t stop Toronto Maple Leafs fan favourite Joffrey Lupul from baring it all in the 2013 edition of the special issue.
Lupul joins tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska, Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried, snowboarder Elena Hight, and 77-year-old golf legend Gary Player (among others) in stripping down to his dressing-room costume for the “Bodies We Want” photo gallery. In one shot, Lupul wears a hockey stick. So, there’s that.
“Being a hockey player, I want to experience as many things as possible, and posing naked in a magazine is certainly not something I ever thought I’d do. I think professional athletes have natural abilities and there are things our bodies can do that other people’s can’t. But we also put in a lot of work — on and off the ice — and that’s what the issue is about: Seeing how people look without their gear on,” Lupul explained to the magazine in a Q&A about his injuries and workout routines.
“Hockey players are known to have big asses; it’s tough to find pants that fit. I don’t need custom-made pants, though there are certain brands that fit better. And I have to do a couple of deep squats in my jeans before I wear them out or they won’t look quite right.”
Yes, Lupul reveals much in the piece, but one burning question remains: Does Phil Kessel know how to use Photoshop?
UPDATE: And the first Maple Leaf to zing Lupul? James van Riemsdyk, who throws a shot at innocent bystander Phil Kessel in the process:
