Anyone Seen Gritty? Hockey World Reacts as Penguins Say Jagr Bobbleheads Were Stolen

Someone allegedly stole Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and all eyes turned to Gritty. If that was on your bingo card for this season, congratulations.

When it rains, it pours.

The Pittsburgh Penguins traded one of their longtime star wingers, Jake Guentzel, last week. They're on a four-game winless streak and falling further away from playoff contention in a season when making the post-season was a bare minimum.

Now, the bobbleheads of their mulleted franchise legend are stolen. And Gritty wants the credit.

It's a mystery with multiple moving parts.

The Penguins were supposed to give out Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads to fans in attendance, with No. 68 in the building as part of the festivities. When the shipment en route to Pittsburgh didn't arrive on time, the team communicated with the manufacturer and the transportation companies to learn the Penguins were victims of cargo theft.

The team said in a statement that state and federal authorities are working to locate the cargo, which includes the Jagr bobbleheads.

“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,” said Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin in the statement.

It did not take long for the post to gain traction, with fans and media speculating on who has the beloved bobbleheads...and why. 

Really, though, why?

One mascot drew the most skepticism: Gritty of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sure enough, Gritty broke his silence a half-hour after the statement.

Jagr did play for the Flyers back in 2011-12, after all. But only time will tell whether we'll ever know the answers to the latest saga in Steel City (no pun intended). 

The plan in the meantime is to give fans with tickets to Thursday's game a voucher with a scannable barcode to pick up the bobblehead at a later date, whether they find the original ones or make some new ones.

Hang in there, Penguins fans. Only one month to go.