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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
The missing Jaromir Jagr bobblehead dolls are missing no more. The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday they have secured the missing shipment of bobblehead dolls that the team had reported as stolen on March 14.
According to Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin, the team was notified last week that “a special cargo recovery team negotiated the return of the stolen property to a secure warehouse located in Ontario, California.”
The truckload of Jagr bobbleheads arrived in Pittsburgh on Monday, and they are expected to be delivered to PPG Paints Arena within the next week.
“Another chapter in the storied history of the Penguins. Stay tuned for details on a movie deal with Jean-Claude Van Damme,” Acklin said on social media. Van Damme’s 1995 action film “Sudden Death” took place inside the team’s former arena during a Penguins playoff game.
The team learned it was the victim of cargo theft after it failed to receive the shipment of Jagr bobblehead dolls — depicting the NHL legend with his famous “salute” celebration — as scheduled before its game against the visiting San Jose Sharks on March 14. The bobblehead night was part of a continuing celebration of Jagr’s legacy with the Penguins, for whom he played 11 seasons and won two Stanley Cups. His No. 68 was retired in February.
The Penguins said they reached out to both the manufacturer and the transportation companies and alerted state and federal authorities in an effort to locate the stolen cargo.
Jagr had some fun with the theft, helping the Penguins produce a social media clip that featured him and a bobblehead doll hitting the road to search for the stolen shipment.
“While this unfortunate incident adds to the legend of Jaromir Jagr, we look forward to resolving this theft and delivering the prized Jagr bobbleheads to their rightful homes, with our fans,” Acklin said at the time.
Fans who attended the March 14 game received vouchers with a one-time scannable barcode to receive a Jagr bobblehead at a later date.
The team said the recovered bobbleheads will be given to fans holding those vouchers at the Penguins’ April 6 game against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning and on April 7, when the team will hold a “a drive-thru pick-up option” at PPG Paints Arena from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. local time.