St. Louis shows off his physique for ESPN mag

Martin St. Louis, 37, agreed that posing naked except for a pair of athletic shorts for ESPN The Magazine’s annual body issue was “stepping out of the box for me.” But even he had to admit the photo of his chiselled physique — crafted through years of work with trainer Ben Prentiss — came out “good.” “Shooting those pictures is not easy,” St. Louis said. “I had that feeling that I was out of my element. But they asked me, and I thought it was the right time.” Said teammate Steven Stamkos: “You hear about Marty’s body and his legs, and you get to see it in that picture. We were giving it to him pretty good, but everyone, I think, deep down is jealous that they weren’t in there.” Asked if he will frame the picture, St. Louis said no. “I’ll just keep the magazine,” he said. “Maybe my trainer will frame it.”

He said it: “I want to get it to a spot that when a team knows we’re next on the schedule and opponents come in to our building, they say, ‘Boys, buckle the chin straps, we’re going to be in for one tonight.’ ” — Coach Jon Cooper, on the identity he wants for the Lightning