Penguins' Jaromir Jagr bobblehead shipment stolen ahead of giveaway night
PITTSBURGH, PA - FEBRUARY 18: Jaromir Jagr skates during warm ups after having his number retired and banner raised to the rafters before the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings at PPG PAINTS Arena on February 18, 2024 in P
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Penguins say that a shipment carrying thousands of Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads was stolen ahead of Thursday night’s giveaway.
The Penguins announced Thursday morning that the shipment was stolen after it arrived in California.
The team had planned to distribute the bobbleheads at Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
Penguins officials say they did not learn of the theft until after the shipment didn’t arrive on schedule.
"The Penguins learned that they were victims of cargo theft after failing to receive the shipment as scheduled," the team wrote on their website. "The team worked with the manufacturer and transportation companies to alert the appropriate state and federal authorities who are currently working to locate the cargo. This is an open investigation and no further comment will be made in order to not hamper with the recovery of the goods."
In order to make it up to fans who planned on going home with bobbleheads, the team says all fans in attendance Thursday will receive a voucher to pick up a bobblehead at a later date. Locations and dates for pickup will be announced when the missing bobbleheads are found or new ones are created.
Jaromir Jagr is still expected to be in attendance at the game. The team retired Jagr's No. 68 during a pregame ceremony last month. The 52-year-old Jagr, the NHL's second all-time leading scorer, remains an active player on the team he owns in his native Czech Republic.
"While this unfortunate incident adds to the legend of Jaromir Jagr, who will be in attendance as our guest at tonight’s game, we look forward to resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans," said Penguins President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin.
The news led to various jokes and speculation on social media about who may have been behind the theft as most tried to pin the crime on Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Gritty even weighed in on the allegations on social media.