Sidney Crosby and 11 Other NHLers with Something to Prove in 2011-12

Let's be honest. Anybody who wasn't wearing a Boston Bruins sweater in late June has something to prove this season. All players do. 

However, because of reasons such as injury, big contracts, high expectations and poor seasons last year, there are some players with more to prove than others. All players set personal goals for themselves, but the next 11 players know that if they don't step up this season the media will be bashing them all year long.

Here they are!

Ilya Kovalchuk

After signing a lucrative contract with the New Jersey Devils last summer, Ilya Kovalchuk laid an egg this past season and the Devils missed the playoffs for the first time in ages. Although the team had many key injuries, Kovalchuk's mediocre performance did not help their cause. The team didn't make him a 100-million-dollar man so he could score 60 points in 81 games. 

The 60 points was a career low for Kovalchuk. He did have a 51-point season his rookie season, but he was a rookie and he also missed 17 games that year. Kovalchuk needs to step up this year and live up to his contract or else Devils fans are not going to be pleased. 

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby has nothing left to prove to us on the ice. He's won his Cup. He has a gold medal. He's won an MVP. And last year, before he got hurt, he was absolutely torching goaltenders in the NHL. He had 66 points in 41 games. 

However, it's the fact that he got hurt that's the problem. Crosby wants to prove that the concussion that sidelined him for half of the season last year was only a one-time ordeal and that he has fully recovered. He wants to prove that he can take a big body-check and stay healthy. 

Alex Ovechkin

Ovechkin's numbers dipped last season and most people pointed toward the Capitals' new emphasis on defense as the main reason for his scoring decline. 

At the end of the season, the results were the same—Ovechkin and the Capitals made another quick playoff exit. Ovechkin is quickly earning a reputation of not performing and winning big games. From the shocking upset in 2010 to the Canadiens, to the horrific Russian Olympic performance, it seems like Ovechkin can't come up big when it matters most.

He only scored four points in the four-game sweep to Tampa Bay. While that's not absolutely terrible, the fact of the matter is, as the team's leader, he didn't do what it took to help his team win the series. He will have to prove his critics wrong this year. 

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo almost stayed off this list. All he had to do was win one more game in the Stanley Cup Final. Actually, if he performed anywhere close to decent in his four Stanley Cup Final losses, he would've stayed off this list.

Luongo was atrocious in those four losses. He already had a bad reputation of choking in big games. This reputation grew even more after that series. He has a lot to prove to his critics and he won't be able to silence them unless he wins the Stanley Cup. 

Sedin Twins

The same goes for Henrik and Daniel Sedin. As amazing as they were in the regular season, they failed to show up in the Stanley Cup Final. They weren't just bad, they were absolutely atrocious. They pulled a Houdini and disappeared when it mattered most. 

Henrik and Daniel combined for five points in the whole series and most of those points came in meaningless situations during blowouts. That's not what leaders do. The Sedin twins, along with Luongo, will hear a lot from their critics because of their championship performances and they won't be able to silence them without a ring. 

Tim Connolly

Tim Connolly recently signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has several things to prove now.

First of all, he has to prove that he can stay healthy throughout the whole season. He has been known to be highly injury-prone. He has missed chunks in each of the last six seasons, including 80 games in the 2006-07 season.

Secondly, he has to prove that he's not going to be another bust signing by the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs signed Jeff Finger to a big contract a few years ago and he turned out to be a bust. They're notorious for signing free agents who don't perform up to their expectations. Connolly has that on his shoulders. 

He has a huge season ahead of him where he needs to stay healthy and keep the testy Toronto media and fans happy. 

Scott Gomez

After scoring 59 points in 2010-11, Scott Gomez scored a career low of 38 points last season. He only scored seven goals and was a minus-15 on the ice. He will enter the season trying to prove the Montreal media that he still has what it takes to be an offensive threat for the Canadiens. 

Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Bryzgalov needs to prove to the Flyers that they made the right decision in changing the direction of their franchise. The Flyers said farewell to offensive threats Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, and quickly addressed their goaltending problems by adding Bryzgalov.

The Flyers saw that they needed solid goaltending to be able to win the Stanley Cup. They lost in 2010 because of uncertainty in net and they feel with Bryzgalov they can get over that hump. Ilya needs to prove that he's the man they need. 

Brad Richards

He was the most coveted free-agent this summer. The Rangers paid big bucks and gave him big years. Now he has to prove to the Rangers and the rest of the league that he deserved the money. As mentioned before, Ilya Kovalchuk was the big fish on the free-agent market last summer and he flopped this year.

Richards is hoping to not fall into the moral hazard trap. He is guaranteed money and years now, so it is more likely his performance that drops. 

Jaromir Jagr

Jaromir Jagr chose to burn bridges with his former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, this summer for an additional $1.3 million. He not only said no to Pittsburgh, but he signed with their biggest rival, Philadelphia.

He now has to prove to Pittsburgh that he was worth that extra money. With Jeff Carter and Mike Richards gone in Philadelphia, it's his job to carry the offense—with big performances against the Penguins and in the playoffs, Jagr will prove that he made the right decision.  

Erik Johnson

It's not often when a team bails on the No. 1 overall pick. The St. Louis Blues did just that last season when they traded former No. 1 overall pick Erik Johnson to the Colorado Avalanche.

Johnson did pretty well during the rest of the season for Colorado, and now he wants to prove the Blues wrong and stick it to them. He wants to let them know that they made a huge mistake. Johnson is surrounded by a cast of great, young players and he will have a fantastic opportunity to revitalize his career and prove his naysayers wrong.