Stolen Jagr Bobbleheads Have Been Found

UPDATE Mar 26, 2024 8:06 AM CDT

"THE JAGR BOBBLEHEADS ARE HOME!" With that tweet by the Pittsburgh Penguins, "one of the more bizarre tales in NHL history" comes to a close, reports CNN. In a release Monday, the NHL team announced that a "special cargo recovery team" had "negotiated the return" of a truck full of bobbleheads honoring legend Jaromir Jagr, meant to be handed out to fans at a game earlier this month but swiped before they could be distributed. The bobbleheads are now en route from California to Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena, where they should arrive within the next week or so. Fans who hold a voucher from the March 14 game against the San Jose Sharks will be able to swap them for a Jagr bobblehead starting on April 6 (more details on how to do so here). The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says an investigation is ongoing, with "no further information to relay at this time," per CNN.

Mar 14, 2024 5:35 PM CDT

Everything is in place for Jaromir Jagr Bobblehead Night except the bobbleheads. The Pittsburgh Penguins planned the fan giveaway in honor of their retired star, and Jagr plans to be at Thursday night's home game against the San Jose Sharks. But the Penguins announced earlier in the day that the shipment of bobbleheads was stolen in California, the AP reports. The team's new plan is to give fans a voucher for a bobblehead that they can pick up later. Kevin Acklin, Penguins president of business operations, said in a statement that the club has contacted state and federal authorities to look into the theft.

"While this unfortunate incident adds to the legend of Jaromir Jagr, who will be in attendance as our guest at [the] game, we look forward to resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans," Acklin said in a statement. The team retired Jagr's No. 68 during a ceremony last month. Jagr, the NHL's second all-time leading scorer, remains an active player at age 52 on a team he owns in his native Czech Republic. The doll will be great when it gets there, the team said, per ESPN: It shows Jagr in his famed "salute" celebration.

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