One hockey fan may be cheering on the Canucks this week wearing a stolen Trevor Linden jersey.
Early Saturday morning, someone broke into Oasis Coffee and Bistro and took owner Jason Scott’s prized possession.
Scott was given the jersey as part of a birthday present from his family, along with tickets to the game in which the beloved Canuck retired his number. The limited edition jersey was autographed by Linden, and included a special pin that was only given away during that game.
“That jersey is irreplaceable and priceless,” Scott’s wife, Reese Ollmann said. “My husband was there at that game, and it was his prized possession.”
Scott and Ollmann are huge hockey fans, and brought the jersey in to share their enthusiasm for the game with their staff and customers.
They are feeling that they were targeted by practiced thieves, who also nabbed their 50″ flat screen t.v. off the wall.
“They came between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., they took some sort of blunt object and hacked away at the wood frame until they got to the deadbolt,” she said. “They walked in a took the t.v. off the wall, and walked out with it, along with a little bit of cash.”
The noise of the break-in, and the awkwardness of hauling a television set so large, could have attracted attention. She is hoping someone will come forward with a tip for police. Ollmann comes into the bistro early in the morning, and was the first one to discover the break in.
She was heartbroken.
“I come from a really big hockey family,” she said, and is niece to Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler.
“I think the most important thing is that jersey,” she said. “It’s a big deal.”
The business hadn’t been alarmed because Ollmann and Scott were told that Agassiz is a fairly safe community.
That all changed for the new business owners on Saturday.
“It’s like Fort Knox now,” she said.
Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Agassiz RCMP detachment at 604-796-2211.
