Beloved NHL Reporter, Three Young Children Killed In Tragic House Fire

Jessi Pierce, 37, a contributor to NHL.com who covered the Minnesota Wild for the past 10 seasons, was killed on Saturday evening, along with her three young children, in a house fire at their single-family home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

Firefighters from the White Bear Lake Fire Department responded to the residence on the 2100 block of Richard Avenue around 5:25 a.m. after neighbors reported flames coming through the roof. Crews encountered a fully involved structure fire upon arriving at the scene, according to a report from The Minnesota Star Tribune.

Officials located Pierce, along with her children; Hudson, 8; Cayden, 6; and Avery, 4. The family dog was also found deceased at the scene. Pierce’s husband was not home at the time of the incident.

The State Fire Marshals Office is investigating the cause of the fire and have not yet released any details as of this report.

Photo: Jessip224 via Instagram

Pierce began her sports journalism career at the age of 18 with a stated goal to cover the NHL, specifically her hometown Minnesota Wild. She completed 18 internships and held positions including work with USA Hockey in Colorado Springs, Colorado; as a news reporter in Brainerd, Minnesota; and as a sports reporter in Syracuse, New York.

In 2016, she secured her position as an independent correspondent for NHL.com while continuing full-time marketing work. Pierce later co-hosted the Bardown Beauties podcast focused on the Wild, and contributed to publications including USA Hockey, The Athletic and others.

Pierce was a popular name in the Minnesota pro-sports circuit and was a mainstay at wild games.

On Friday, a day before the fatal blaze, Pierce posted heartbreaking photos on her X account documenting an outing with her children to the opening day of the Cup and Cone ice cream shop in White Bear Lake. One image showed all three children — Hudson, Cayden and Avery—enjoying ice cream with the caption, “Cup and cone opening day 3/20/26” followed by “bag(s) secured.”

“The entire National Hockey League family sends our prayers and deepest condolences to the Pierce family on the passing of Jessi Pierce and her three young children. Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly,” the NHL said in a statement.

Bill Price, vice president and editor-in-chief of NHL.com, also paid tribute to Pierce in a separate statement on behalf of the outlet. “The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children. Jessi’s love of her family and hockey was evident in the energy and passion she brought to her work for us. She was an absolute joy to talk to and work with. She will be deeply missed.”