Masked thieves steal signed Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon jerseys off Halifax pub's wall
· Toronto Sun
A pair of brazen thieves stole autographed Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon jerseys right off the wall of Big Leagues Brew Pub in Bayers Lake while it was still open on Tuesday.
Management for the sports bar posted security video of the incident on Facebook on Wednesday, showing a car backing up to the entrance and a masked man hopping out of the passenger side to make two hurried dashes in and out of the foyer. The thief loaded a framed jersey into the trunk of the waiting car on each trip, then got back into the passenger seat before the driver sped off.
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“We’re all in shock, just with the way it all went down,” general manager Natalie Langley said. “We know people get robbed all the time but when a masked man enters your workplace, regardless of what they are there for, your security feels threatened way more than it would in any other way.
“A staff member came out of the kitchen and saw it happening. She ran out of those doors after them, but they jumped in the car and left. She called me bawling. She was just so shaken up and I told her to shut the restaurant down immediately and then made sure everyone was OK. For us, the management team, all we were thinking was, ‘How do we protect our staff?’ This is just crazy; it’s just not something that happens.”
The robbery went down at about 8:30 p.m., a half hour before closing. There is little doubt in Langley’s mind the thieves planned it out carefully in advance.
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“They had to have known (the jerseys) were there and these definitely had to have been people who were in regularly to see them there. There’s no other explanation,” she said.
“I have zoomed in on the video and I’ve taken still pictures; these guys knew what they were doing. They had everything taken off that vehicle — the make, the model, the plates — they were all removed. This isn’t something that was their first time, guaranteed.”
The Bayers Lake pub is an expansion location for Big Leagues, whose original establishment is in the two NHL stars’ hometown.
“Sidney’s actually been to our Cole Harbour location quite often so there are a lot more walls and spaces there for his memorabilia,” Langley said. “But these two jerseys were our most (prized) displays at the Bayers Lake location. We’ve only been open for three years so when you walked in those doors, this is what we wanted people to see. The owner (Jamie Latter) was very particular about making sure that was what was put there.”
“Those jerseys weren’t just regular memorabilia that we just hung up,” she added. “The owner purposely picked those out to display our pride in our community, especially during the Olympics. These guys definitely wanted to make some money off of these.”
Police are investigating, but Langley said there are no meaningful updates yet. Similar Crosby pieces are listed on eBay for between $2,500 and $3,500, while the current range for a signed and framed MacKinnon jersey is between $1,200 and $2,500.
“It’s not just the jersey, it’s also the mounting that adds to the cost of it,” Langley said. “And the value also changes over time. But it’s not about the money to us. It’s more about the way we all feel unsafe now.”
Many staff members and customers are rattled by the incident.
“It’s just so shocking,” Big Leagues bartender Ashlyn Blacquiere said. “We’ve got a pretty big group of regulars here who are all following it and talking about it. They all saw the video on Facebook and they’re all concerned.
“We’re really just hoping we get them back.”