Lightning Deal For Goalie

Gavey Goes For Tabaracci

By Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune, November 20, 1996
(Thanks to Deadbolt for sending me this article)

Summary:The Lightning address their goaltending problem, but there's no guarantee that newcomer Rick Tabaracci will be the one to solve it.

TAMPA - They weren't about to give up a blue chip, no matter what it brought them in return. So they gave up a white chip prospect instead and bet on 31 Red.
That, in essence, is what the Lightning did Tuesday when they traded fourth-line center Aaron Gavey to the Calgary Flames for Rick Tabaracci, a seven-year veteran goaltender who carries no guarantee that he can stabilize the rocky situation inside the Tampa Bay net.
All that is known is that Tabaracci, 27, will be given a chance, just as Corey Schwab and Derek Wilkinson were, to prove he can keep the Lightning in the playoff hunt until Daren Puppa returns, whenever that is.
"He goes right in," Lightning coach Terry Crisp said after the trade was announced for Tabaracci, who has never been a No. 1 goalie at the NHL level. "We said we needed someone to shore up the goaltending, so we're going to see right away if he can get us back on beam for a playoff spot."
Not everyone in the Lightning camp is so sure the team needed to make this move. Lightning General Manager Phil Esposito said he believes Schwab is capable of carrying the team in Puppa's absence and suggested the media forced the deal by placing the majority of the blame for three recent losses on him and Wilkinson.
"You keep writing about it and people in different places keep panicking, so we had to do it," Esposito said. "But I don't blame the goalies. I personally think Corey Schwab can do the job."
Esposito delivered the same speech to his players immediately after announcing the trade, saying he believed a lack of concentration was as much to blame for the losses as goaltending.
In two of those losses the Lightning led 3-1 in the third period, only to have a power play goal spark a comeback in which Schwab and Wilkinson admittedly surrendered a couple of bad goals.
Crisp never publicly blamed his goalies for the losses, but it was clear he and the team were losing confidence in Schwab and Wilkinson. Those feelings sparked a search for a replacement, but from the very beginning Esposito said the team ruled out going after a bonafide No. 1 goalie.
"That would have cost us too much," he said. "We weren't going to give up one of our top guys, a [Chris] Gratton, or a [Roman} Hamrlik, especially when we've got one of the best goalies in the league coming back in February. So we gave up Aaron, who was a level below our top guys."
The Lightning hoped Gavey would emerge as one of their top three centers this season, but he has struggled in virtually every aspect of the game and at times found playing time hard to come by.
"It's hard, I mean, I've never been traded before and I loved playing here in Tampa," said Gavey, 22. "But I'm going to a team that's going to play me and wants me so I guess I feel about as good as I can. I don't know, it's baffling."
The aggressive and outgoing Tabaracci, who wore No. 31 with Calgary, has had a baffling time with the Flames this year. May thought that based on Trevor Kidd's mediocre performance in the playoffs last year Tabaracci would open the season as Calgary's top goalie.
That didn't happen. In fact, when prospect Dwayne Roloson emerged as a contender for the starting job Tabaracci was left unprotected in the waiver draft and he later cleared waivers altogether.
The Flames even tried to trade Tabaracci, packaging him with rugged left winger Paul Kruse, but they found no takers. This despite the fact he was matching Kidd virtually save for save.
"The situation here, with three goalies, just wasn't going to work, so they had to do something," Tabaracci said. "Still, when [Flames GM Al Coates] told me I got pretty emotional. I really loved it here. That's no B.S."
Despite his feelings for Calgary and the Flames Tabaracci said he is elated to be coming to Tampa Bay, primarily because it will give him his first real shot at becoming a No. 1 goalie. Other such opportunities in Winnipeg and Washington were mostly derailed by injuries.
"It's a great opportunity for me so I'm very excited," said Tabaracci who split time with Kidd a year ago, working 43 games and compiling a 19-16-3 record and 2.94 GAA.
Esposito said Tabaracci's experience - he's played in 163 regular season games and 17 playoff games - made him attractive to the Lightning. "And the other things is he gives us another goalie, which we're going to need when expansion comes," he said. "This way we've got three with NHL experience."