Can Tabby shoulder the burden?

By GEORGE JOHNSON -- Calgary Sun
January 24, 1998
An hour and a half on the ice, a representative test, and the shoulder felt sore but strong.
"There's an outside chance I could play (tonight)," said Rick Tabaracci.
"I felt surprisingly good out there. That was my first full workout, but I've skated for a couple of days now.
"I haven't got the OK from the doctors yet, and they've got the final say, but there's another 24 hours to go."
His chances, for the bookies in the audience?
"Um, maybe 50-50."
The slight shoulder separation has come along quicker than anticipated, but even should he be fit enough to tackle Bure, Messier, Mogilny and the rest of the Canucks this evening, Tabaracci doesn't want anyone to trumpet his return as they would a white knight on a noble steed dashing to rescue the poor, ignorant townsfolk from a certain death.
"If I'm not 100 percent, I don't want to rush back and give this team weak goaltending," he added.
There are those who'll argue that with one arm trussed up in a sling, a patch over one eye and skates and pads tied together and then bound in a potato sack he couldn't give them weaker goaltending than the Flames have received lately.
Dwayne Roloson and rookie Tyler Moss have come under seige for consecutive losses in Edmonton, Los Angeles and San Jose, surrending 16 goals in the process.
"I've been reading some of the things being written about the goaltending," said Tabaracci, "and I strongly disagree. I don't think some it has been fair at all.
"Goaltending is not a position that can carry a team night in and night out. People keep telling me 'You guys have to stand on your head every game or the team won't win.' Well, no goalie can or should have to.
"To say that is just giving an out to every other player at every other position. Then it's easy to blame the goalie, no matter happens. 'Oh, they lost, it must be the goalie's fault!'
"Well, I don't buy that.
"Last time I looked, this was a team game, not tennis. We're not responsible for every win, or every loss."

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