This is an online exclusive story from ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue 2017, on newsstands on July 7. Subscribe today!

The U.S. women's national hockey team is no stranger to making bold statements. Six members posing nude on the ice for the 2017 Body Issue? Not even their bravest move this year. In March, they announced they would boycott the world championship, demanding equitable pay and better training conditions and support by the league. After winning that battle, they swiftly went on to claim gold against Canada -- in overtime, no less. Body Issue reporter Stevland Wilson caught up with them recently to discuss their fearless and groundbreaking year:

Q: What's the biggest misconception you think people have about female hockey players?

LAMOUREUX-MORANDO: You run into people at the airport who ask what sport you play, and they're like, "Oh, I thought you'd be bigger." Or "You look really petite, and you have all your teeth." We're normal women. We like to be feminine. We love to get dressed up and be pretty. But we love to train and be strong and be aggressive. There's this misconception that, if we play ice hockey, we're a certain way off the ice. We're normal.

DUGGAN: From a muscular standpoint, we're strong women. We have big legs and big butts. It's all about acceleration, explosion, power; it's all about the glutes. We're not size 0s, but we're proud of our greatest assets, which are our legs and our butts. We want to be fast. We want to be strong. We want to be dynamic and powerful and conditioned. All of us really represent that in a different way. Everyone brings a different piece to the table.

BELLAMY: We all have different body types. I have a pretty big butt, but then my legs are like bird legs. But I still can lift just as much as these girls can lift.

LAMOUREUX-MORANDO: We're strong women, not just physically but mentally. You don't have to be shy about being strong or being able to lift as much weight as the guy next to you. Yeah, we might not be a size 2, but we're confident in what we do, what we put on the ice, and what we do day in and day out.

LAMOUREUX-DAVIDSON: I work with a lot of college athletes and younger women [as a strength and conditioning coach]. We can use our bodies to do amazing things, and you should be proud of that, not embarrassed. Own it. Young women can develop great confidence in that, and I think they are role models for that. Be proud of yourself and who you are.

Q: I've heard Meghan has quite a reputation for a strict diet. How would you describe her nutrition regimen?

BELLAMY: She had a Cheeto about five years ago [laughing].

DUGGAN: When I was a senior in college [in 2011], I said to my team, "If we win the national championship and a world championship with the U.S. team this year, I'll eat a burger from McDonald's."

DECKER: I remember that. And we won both!

DUGGAN: So we showed up for our team parade and they walk right into the locker room with a McDonald's bag. They didn't forget.

RIGSBY: We videotaped the whole thing. Her unwrapping it and everything.