“The Puck Stops Here,” in the January 26 issue of ESPN The Magazine, writer Lindsay Berra goes into the crease with Canadiens 21-year old goalie, Carey Price, who may have the highest-pressure job in sports. Pressure is part of the package with playing for the Glorious Ones. The Canadiens – arguably one of most storied franchises in all of sports, are celebrating their centennial season, hosting the 57th NHL All-Star Game and have the 4th best record in the Eastern Conference – expectations for the Stanley Cup are at a high. But it’s harder to stay calm and play in a town that regards a Stanley Cup as practically a civic right. Failure to deliver on the ultimate prize can leave scars – and bitter memories. That’s why Price’s quietness and composure may be his best assets and traits to help him survive the heat in Montreal’s crease.

Quotes from the article:

• Mike Komisarek, teammate on Price: “He’s always calm back there, and it spills over to the whole team. No matter how crazy things get, he doesn’t show much.”
• Price’s Father: “Carey wants to be the difference. He wants to be the No.1 guy on the biggest stage there is.”

Fans expect heroes to let us in, to show us more than their game faces. But over the course of Marvin Harrison's 13 years in the NFL, the Colts receiver has built an All-Pro career behind a firewall of privacy. In “You Have No Idea,” writers Shaun Assael and Peter Keating go inside the world of Harrison, perhaps the most enigmatic star in the NFL. They discover a man who looks and acts more like the King of West Thompson Street in North Philly than the quiet, record-setting future Hall of Famer. Along the way new evidence about his April 29 shooting incident comes to light, as well as further details about little-reported incidents of violence in his past.

Source: ESPN

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The Washington Capitals have never won a Stanley Cup but after a major victory surge at the end of last season and a trip to the playoffs, Caps fans are buzzing that this is THE year. One major factor for this new level of excitement – Alex Ovechin, cover athlete for the new issue of ESPN The Magazine that hit newsstands Friday. Ovechkin lead the league in scoring and won four individual trophies last season – including The Hart (MVP). After Ovechkin and the Capitals lost in the playoff quarterfinals, he told Caps owner Ted Leonsis he would trade all of his honors for one Stanley Cup. In “Regime Change,” Eric Adelson writes about Ovechkin’s transformation of Washington-hockey and how Caps fans see him as an agent for change - change they can believe in.

The Magazine’s NHL Preview includes seven pages of conference, team and position rankings. Mag hockey guru E.J. Hradek breaks it all down as the as the race for the Stanley Cup begins.

Source: ESPN

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