PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins have procured the Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads that went missing earlier this month, the team announced Monday.
The Penguins said they were notified last week that a special cargo recovery team had negotiated the return of the stolen bobbleheads. A truck carrying the bobbleheads departed from Ontario, Calif., and arrived in Pittsburgh on Monday, according to a team statement.
The Penguins said the bobbleheads are expected to arrive at PPG Paints Arena within the next week.
THE JAGR BOBBLEHEADS ARE HOME!
Full details on how to redeem your @68Jagr bobblehead voucher: https://t.co/3lSIozXTYY
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 25, 2024
“What a wild ride,” Kevin Acklin, Pittsburgh’s president of business operations, said in a text to The Athletic.
Fans holding vouchers for the Jagr bobbleheads can begin redeeming them on April 6 and 7.
What happened?
After Jagr’s celebrated reunion with his original NHL franchise for a jersey retirement ceremony on Feb. 18, Penguins’ season-ticket holders were eager for a promotional giveaway of bobbleheads in his likeness for a game on March 14. However, the Penguins never received a scheduled shipment and learned the bobbleheads had been intercepted in California, and vouchers were distributed to fans with tickets to the March 14 game, which Jagr attended.
In a statement released that morning, Acklin said the team was “shocked to be a victim of cargo theft.”
The Penguins worked with local and federal authorities during the investigation and promised the bobbleheads would be returned.
Was this a PR stunt?
The short answer is no.
However, with Jagr back in Pittsburgh to participate in The Mario Lemieux Foundation’s annual fantasy hockey camp at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins leaned into the story. Their social media team filmed a short video with Jagr and one of the bobbleheads — a mockup that was in Acklin’s office. In the video, a smiling Jagr strapped the bobblehead in the passenger seat of a car and drove off as if to begin a search for the missing items.
The video went viral on social media. An unintended result was skeptics labeling the episode a public relations move — with specific criticism from Keith Olbermann, a former ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor.
In reality, once the announcement of the bobbleheads going missing was released, the Penguins were scrambling much of the day, as the promotion was highly anticipated — not to mention a reprieve from the hockey team’s disappointing on-ice results.
How do fans get their bobbleheads?
Fans attending a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 6 can redeem their vouchers inside PPG Paints Arena from 11:30 a.m. until 30 minutes after the game’s conclusion. The Penguins will have employees staged behind Section 1112 to assist.
A second redemption opportunity is slated for April 7. This is a drive-thru option at PPG Paints Arena from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at an adjacent parking garage at 1300 Center Avenue. Vouchers will be scanned once fans enter the garage in their vehicles.
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(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
