TLDR
NHL reporter Jessi Pierce, 37, and her three children died in a house fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. As investigators examine the cause, her husband and the wider hockey community are mourning a beloved mother and storyteller.
The news moved across the hockey world in a single, stunned wave. Jessi Pierce, a familiar face in Minnesota rinks and a trusted voice on NHL coverage, was gone, along with her three young children, after a house fire in White Bear Lake.
A Life Built Around Hockey
The NHL confirmed Pierce’s death, along with that of her children Hudson, Cayden, and Avery, and paid tribute to a decade of work that turned her into a league fixture. The league said, “Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly.”
Pierce covered the Minnesota Wild for NHL.com and previously reported for The Athletic. Her byline also appeared with USA Hockey, Minnesota Hockey Journal, and Massachusetts Hockey, a portfolio that traced the sport from local rinks to the biggest stages.
She extended that reach with the podcast “The Bardown Beauties,” which she co-hosted with Kirsten Krull. The show gave fans, especially women and moms in the stands, a smart, approachable doorway into a sport that can feel insular from the outside.
A Community Grieves Its Storyteller
According to FOX 9, the White Bear Lake Fire Department responded to a 911 call from neighbors who saw flames coming through the roof of the Pierce family home early in the morning. Fire crews found a fully involved blaze, one deceased adult, three deceased children, and a family dog. The cause remains under investigation.
White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson urged space and compassion as the community absorbs the loss. “Our hearts ache for those involved in this tragedy,” he said. “We ask for the opportunity to allow our community to come together and support one another during this difficult time.”
Only hours before the fire, Pierce had shared photos on X from a trip to local favorite “Cup and Cone” with her children, images of a simple ice cream outing that now feel unbearably precious to friends and readers who followed their family life online.
The Minnesota Wild organization called her loss “heartbreaking” and remembered her as “a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her.” The team added that she served as “a dedicated ambassador for the game of hockey” and said Jessi and her children “will be greatly missed.”
Michael Russo, the longtime Wild beat writer for The Athletic, struggled to put the grief into words. He described Pierce as “the most vibrant person, the life of the party,” and said she brought passion to every article, podcast, and interview. He remembered how she brightened the room and had “a way of being everybody’s friend.”
Holding on to Her Legacy
For Krull, Pierce was more than a co-host. “Family is not always blood, but the people you choose, and that could not have been more true,” she wrote on X, calling Jessi a big-sister figure with “an unmatched work ethic and a huge heart.”
Krull added that any time she needed help, a rant, or simply someone to listen, Pierce was there without hesitation. Above all, she said, Jessi was “the best mom” who loved her children and family “fiercely,” a sentiment echoed across tributes that focused less on press-box memories and more on school pickups, youth hockey, and everyday moments.
Friends have shared photos of Pierce in Team USA gear alongside Hudson, Cayden, and Avery at local rinks, at holiday outings, and in the stands. Russo summed it up simply, saying that more than anything, she loved her children and did everything she could to bring joy to their lives.
Her husband, Mike, survived the fire and is now at the center of an unimaginable loss. Colleagues and fans have filled social media with messages of support and shared stories, trying to build a kind of virtual embrace for a family that once felt so joyously public.
Heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss of NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three young children in a Minnesota house fire. Jessi was a passionate voice for the Minnesota Wild and hockey community for a decade. Sending deepest condolences to her family, friends, Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/zitR4WaLZ2
— Aaron Dibert (@dibert_aaron) March 22, 2026
In arenas across Minnesota and beyond, Pierce’s legacy is not only the stories she filed or the podcasts she recorded. It is the way she made the sport feel warmer, more human, and more welcoming. That is the memory the hockey world is holding on to now.
How will you remember Jessi Pierce, whether through her reporting, her podcasts, or the way she represented hockey families on and off the ice?
