Yahoo Sports Evgeni Malkin's Stanley Cup rings reportedly stolen in latest athlete burglary
Add Evgeni Malkin to the list of star athletes to have their homes burglarized, and this one definitely hurt.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin's home was broken into on Saturday and his Stanley Cup championship rings are missing, according to KDKA-TV's Jennifer Borrasso. Malkin won those rings with the Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
The back door of Malkin's home was reportedly kicked in at the time of the break-in, when the alarm system and cameras happened to be down. A home safe was kept open, as well. The Penguins played a game against the Ottawa Senators at 4 p.m. that day, with a 911 call hours later.
Malkin did not play in that game, having been placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury earlier this week.
The Penguins released a statement via Borrasso later Tuesday confirming they were working with local authorities and declining further comment:
“Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin’s home was burglarized this past weekend. Details of the situation will not be made public as this is an ongoing investigation. We are working closely with local authorities and team security. Malkin has requested that his privacy be respected during this time and we will have no further comment on the matter.”
Malkin joins a list of decorated athletes to have their homes hit by burglars, with the list including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow, Luka Dončić and Tyler Seguin.
The wave isn't a coincidence. Last month, ABC News reported the FBI had issued a bulletin stating that organized theft groups from South America were responsible for burglarizing nine different athletes' homes last fall. It is not confirmed these groups were responsible for the Malkin heist, though.
According to the FBI, these groups put significant effort into identifying valuables and a window in which they can strike, including physical and technical surveillance of the home and using social media to identify a pattern of life for a prospective victim.
From ABC:
“These preparation tactics enable theft groups to conduct burglaries in a short amount of time. Organized theft groups bypass alarm systems, use Wi-Fi jammers to block Wi-Fi connections and disable devices, cover security cameras, and obfuscate their identities,” the FBI report said.
The FBI encouraged athletes to keep records of their valuables, employ additional security and be cautious about what they post on social media, as pictures of valuables, their home interior and real-time vacation posts make the thieves' jobs easier.
