NHL Team Alerts Feds After Becoming Victims of 'Cargo Theft'
A bevy of bobbles have been burgled.
But these were not just any old collectibles. The Pittsburgh Penguins were planning to hand out special bobblehead dolls of NHL legend Jaromir Jagr to everyone attending Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks at PPG Paints Arena.
Unfortunately, somebody got to the collectibles first.
The team said in a news release Thursday that the shipment of bobbleheads was stolen after arriving in California.
“The Penguins learned that they were victims of cargo theft after failing to receive the shipment as scheduled,” the release said.
“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,” the Penguins said.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that about 18,000 Jagr bobbleheads had been swiped.
“We were shocked to be a victim of cargo theft, and we are working closely with local and federal authorities on the investigation,” Penguins President of Business Operations Kevin Ackli said in a statement.
“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,” Acklin said.
Fans at the game were given a voucher that will be honored when either the missing bobbles are found or new ones are delivered to the team.
In a video posted on X, Jagr offered to head up the investigation.
After buckling a bobblehead into the passenger seat of the car he was driving, he said, “Buckle up, baby. Let’s go find your friends!”
#JagrWatch 🫡 pic.twitter.com/dyz64u0QyM
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 14, 2024
WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh asked a spokesman for Steel City Collectibles about the motive behind the theft.
Billy Lesnak said Jagr is one of hockey’s most popular players, making anything connected with him valuable.
“Whatever they were worth before, may now jump up a little bit in value, just because there’s going to be that interest, there’s going to be that media coverage from collectors,” Lesnak said.
“There’s a lot of the mythos of Jaromir Jagr that is in pop culture right now, now that he is back in Pittsburgh. We had his number retired; the fact that he’s still playing, he’s never retired after all these years,” he said.
Jagr plays for a Czech team he owns, according to SB Nation.
The 52-year-old played 11 of his 24 NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, winning two Stanley Cups. Jagr scored 766 goals, 439 of them with the Penguins.
The fans disappointed about not receiving bobbleheads Thursday did get some consolation: The Penguins beat the Sharks 6-3.
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