The Minnesota Wild and the entire hockey community are mourning the loss of Jessi Pierce and her three young children, who were killed in an early-morning house fire Saturday at their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Pierce, 37, had covered the Wild for NHL.com and other outlets for the past 10 seasons and was a beloved presence in the hockey world.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke Monday about the loss.
“Words just can’t express how devastated we all are,” Guerin said. “Jessi was always happy, always in a good mood, always a pleasure to deal with for me, and we’ll miss her. We’re all in this together and we support each other.”
In a statement, the Wild called Pierce a kind and compassionate person who served as a dedicated ambassador for the game during her time covering the team and the league.
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon remembered her warmth and energy.
“Every time she was in here, she had a smile on her face,” Spurgeon said. “I remember when she would bring the kids into the dressing room and do an interview holding her son. It’s very hard news to take.”
Forward Marcus Foligno, the subject of one of Pierce’s final stories for NHL.com, expressed the feelings shared throughout the locker room.
“You could see the look on a lot of people’s faces, just in shock,” Foligno said. “How we’re all feeling right now is devastated. We’ll definitely miss her around the rink for sure.”
Pierce was known as a fixture at Wild games, often greeting everyone she encountered with a smile and genuine interest in how they were doing. She also co-hosted the Bardown Beauties podcast about the Wild and appeared on a Minnesota Vikings podcast. Her work appeared in publications including USA Hockey, The Athletic and the Minnesota Hockey Journal.
She had spoken openly about her dream of becoming an NHL writer, a goal she first set at age 18.
Wild coach John Hynes expressed hope that her legacy would live on.
“Hopefully we can all carry on her legacy with the smile and passion for the game and the way she treated people,” Hynes said. “Just pray for her and her family and everyone as well.”
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