A former Edmonton Oilers player’s Stanley Cup ring that was stolen in Parkland County was returned to its owners just hours after police revealed it was spotted on the hand of a suspect in Devon, where the suspect also allegedly used a stolen credit card.
The ring is owned by Norm Lacombe, whose first full year with the Oilers was the 1987-88 season, in the midst of the Oilers dynasty. That year, the Oilers would go all the way to win their fourth Stanley Cup in five years.
On Thursday night, Lacombe told Global News he received a phone call from someone telling him he got the ring from the thief. Lacombe agreed to meet the caller at a public location where he got the ring back. He said he was “ecstatic” when he retrieved the memento.
Lacombe said the ring, along with his wallet, was stolen from his car last weekend. Lacombe told Global News he took off the ring for a round of golf and left it in the car. The next day as he was heading out for groceries, he realized his wallet and his ring had been stolen.
READ MORE: Former Edmonton Oilers player’s Stanley Cup ring stolen in Spruce Grove
The RCMP said sometime between the late hours of Saturday, May 26 and the early morning hours of Sunday, May 27, the 1988 Stanley Cup ring and a wallet containing credit cards were stolen from a vehicle in the area of Township Road 520 and Range Road 275, which is south of Spruce Grove.
Later Sunday morning, a suspect entered a store in Devon – about 24 kilometres away – wearing the stolen ring. Security footage shows the unidentified man wearing a hat and sunglasses. He also used one of the stolen credit cards, RCMP said.
On Thursday, the RCMP released an image of the suspect, hoping the public could help in identifying him.
The ring is engraved with Lacombe’s name, jersey number of 19, the year 1988, and four diamonds to symbolize the franchise’s fourth title.
Anyone with information about the theft or the suspect is asked to call RCMP or the Edmonton Police Service.