Not much has gone right for the Penguins in the 2023-24 season — not even their promo nights.
Pittsburgh was anticipating a bounce-back season after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since Sidney Crosby’s rookie year in 2006. The club brought in a new general manager in Kyle Dubas, who made a big splash last summer by acquiring three-time Norris Trophy defenseman Erik Karlsson from the Sharks.
Instead, the Penguins have struggled to find any depth scoring, are owners of one of the most miserable power play units in the league (14.6%, 29th in the league) and are on track to miss the postseason for a second consecutive year despite Crosby’s outstanding season.
It’s tough times in the Steel City, and the hits just keep on coming. The Penguins were supposed to be handing out bobbleheads of the legendary Jaromir Jagr at Thursday night’s home game against the Sharks. But the team is postponing the promotion to a later date, it announced Thursday morning.
Here is more on why the Penguins won’t be having Jaromir Jagr bobblehead night at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday.
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Why did the Penguins postpone Jaromir Jagr bobblehead night?
The Penguins announced Thursday morning that the team will not be handing out bobbleheads of Jaromir Jagr due to the fact that the shipment of merchandise was stolen on its way from California.
The Penguins announced today that the shipment carrying the Jagr bobbleheads for tonight’s game has been stolen en route to Pittsburgh.
As a result, the bobbleheads will not be distributed at tonight’s game, but will be distributed at a later date.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 14, 2024
Since none of the collectibles will be available to hand out, the club said it will hold the promo night at a later date. It has yet to be determined which home game that will be.
“All fans in attendance will receive a voucher that includes a one-time scannable barcode that will be required to pick up the bobblehead at a later date,” the Penguins said in a news release. “Location and dates for pickup will be shared when the items are safely located or new bobbleheads are produced and available for distribution.”
The club also noted in its statement that “this is an open investigation and no further comment will be made in order to not hamper with the recovery of the goods.”
“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, president of business operations for the Penguins. “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.”
While there has been no information revealed as to who the culprit could be, that did not stop certain rivals from poking a bit of fun at the situation. The Flyers mascot Gritty, a prominent figure in the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia rivalry, jokingly confessed to the crime.
https://t.co/6BCCOAmv3K pic.twitter.com/URnlHouZIu
— Gritty (@GrittyNHL) March 14, 2024
The bad times in the ‘Burgh keep on chugging on. While fans won’t get to go home with a Jagr bobblehead tonight, perhaps they will get to see the team snap its four-game losing streak Thursday. The Penguins have a chance to get back in the win column against a Sharks team that owns the worst record in the NHL.
