Beloved sports journalist Jessi Pierce and her 3 children identified as White Bear Lake fire victims
Minnesota sports journalist Jessi Pierce, who passionately covered hockey in Minnesota, and her three children have been identified as those killed in a White Bear Lake fire Saturday.
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Pierce was well known in the hockey community, covering the Minnesota Wild and Minnesota Frost, co-hosting the “Bardown Beauties Podcast” and making frequent appearances on “Judd’s Hockey Show.”
The National Hockey League confirmed the news, adding that Pierce contributed to NHL.com for 10 seasons.
“Jessi was like another big sister to me. She had a confidence and a way of being able to talk to anyone that I envied,” Bardown Beauties Podcast co-host Kirsten Krull said on social media. “She had an unmatched work ethic and a huge heart. Any time I needed help, needed to rant, or needed someone she was there without hesitation. Most importantly, she was the best mom and loved her kids and family fiercely.”
An outpour of tributes for Jessi and her three children, Hudson, Cayden, and Avery, came on Sunday following the news of their death.
“She was so many things to the hockey community and to our podcast. Funny, intelligent, never afraid to speak her mind and I could go on,” Judd Zulgad said. “If there was one word I would use to describe how I felt about her it would be respect. A mom, a writer, a person who was great at dealing with everyone.”
Fellow sports journalist Jess Myers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press said he’s known Pierce for 15 years, bonding over their shared love of hockey and their alma mater, Iowa State University. They had been covering the Minnesota Wild side by side for years.
“Got to the arena yesterday, and she wasn’t there. And it just — you could tell immediately something wasn’t right, because she never missed a game,” he said. “She was always present. You would always see her smile… And that was an absence that we felt immediately, and then learned the horrible news, and it’s a hole that’s going to be there for a long time.”
He recalled memories from when Pierce’s oldest son was a baby.
“She would bring him to the rink sometimes and would be interviewing Wild players with a baby strapped to her stomach. The players loved it,” Myers said. “You know, there’s all these pictures of players interacting with her son, and I remember telling her once, ‘those are going to be pretty cool for him someday to show his friends,’ and just unfathomable, that’s never going to happen.”
Joey Reilly, technology director for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation, described Pierce as kind and generous. She was a staple every year at the annual award banquet and golf tournament, Reilly said.
“I will miss her at our golf tournament this year, as she was always a bright and smiling person,” he said. “And even when she had conflicts… even if she had something else going on, and she tried to make it to some part of it. And that, to me, shows dedication, for somebody who’s not even part of the foundation or their committee. And I think that’s noble and should be mentioned.”
The Minnesota Wild created a memorial for Jessi and her children, setting flowers in her media spot at Grand Casino Arena and placing a stick out in their memory.
We are heartbroken and join the State of Hockey in mourning the tragic loss of Jessi and her children. May they rest in peace 💔. pic.twitter.com/H8L8Wgu6l4
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 22, 2026
“The Minnesota Wild organization is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Jessi Pierce and her Children,” the organization wrote. “Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her. She served as a dedicated ambassador for the game of hockey and during her time covering the Wild and NHL. Jessi and her children will be greatly missed.”
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