Pittsburgh Penguins fans who plan to attend Thursday night’s continued celebration of the career of franchise icon Jaromir Jagr could be losing their heads.
The Penguins said their plan to distribute Jagr bobbleheads at their home game against the San Jose Sharks has been thwarted with the theft of the promotional giveaways in California.
The team said Thursday that state and federal authorities have been notified and are investigating.
“We were shocked to be a victim of cargo theft, and we are working closely with local and federal authorities on the investigation,” said Kevin Acklin, the team’s president of business operations. “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.”
Fans at the game will receive a voucher that will allow them to pick up their souvenirs at a time and location to be announced after “the items are safely located or new bobbleheads are produced and available for distribution,” the team said.
The Penguins retired Jagr’s No. 68 on Feb. 18 in a ceremony that included teammates from the 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championship teams.
Jagr, now 52, made his debut with the Penguins in the 1990-91 season after the team selected the Czech with the No. 5 overall pick in the 1990 NHL Draft. He spent the first 11 of his 24 NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, where he was an 11-time All-Star.
–Field Level Media