Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler concentrates on the puck during team practice in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday, May 12, 2011. The Canucks have advanced to the NHL Western Conference final which begins on Sunday in Vancouver.GEOFF HOWE/The Canadian Press
Ryan Kesler's appearance in ESPN The Magazine's "The Body Issue," was bound to draw some snickers in the Vancouver Canucks dressing room, given that their teammate agreed to pose nude.
You can find a photo gallery here.
Among the teammates having a good time with the batting-practice material was goaltender Roberto Luongo, who said that he too was asked to pose, but that "this body is for one set of eyes only."
Kesler's retort to his teammates: "Jealousy. That's all they got."
Kesler, who was approached by ESPN, said he talked over the idea with his family before agreeing to the photoshoot, which took 90 minutes. Asked if he was airbrushed or touched up after the fact, he replied: "None. That's pure me," while praising the magazine for its professionalism.
"I knew what I was getting into," he said. "I knew it was going to be classy, to say the least."