Pierce, NHL.com Wild writer, Twin Cities fixture, mourned by hockey world

Jessi Pierce loved hockey with the same intensity she had for her family -- and for life in general.

Pierce, 37, died Saturday, along with her three children in a fire at her home.

“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,” the NHL said in a statement. "Jessi loved our game and was a valued member of the NHL.com team for a decade. We will miss her terribly.”

It is an incredible loss to everyone who came to know her during her time covering hockey at every level in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

A contributor to NHL.com for the past 10 seasons, Pierce was a fixture at Minnesota Wild games -- often cloaked in a blanket to combat the cold in the press box at Grand Casino Arena -- greeting each person with a smile and a question or two about how they have been, whether the previous meeting was earlier in the day or the decade.

Pierce also worked for the Wild.

“The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children,” said Bill Price, VP, Editor-in-Chief of NHL.com. “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.”

Unafraid of sharing her opinion about the game before her and the men playing it, Pierce delivered those offerings with a bit of humor and informed by the institutional knowledge she had after more than a decade of covering her hometown team.

Pierce was intensely proud of her family, talking about the accomplishments of her children. When Pierce started her family, she would sometimes show up to a Wild practice with one of her young children on her hip, melding family and work into a modern-day package.

She was a fixture on the area’s sports scene, through her vibrant feed on X, her work as a co-host for the “Bardown Beauties” podcast about the Wild and her appearances on a Minnesota Vikings podcast.

She would tell anyone who listened about her journey to become an NHL writer, a dream she first articulated when she was 18.

It was not a straight line for Pierce, but stops in Brainerd, Minnesota; Syracuse, New York; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, among others, helped her achieve her dream a decade ago.

Pierce’s work on hockey appeared in countless publications, including USA Hockey, the Minnesota Hockey Journal, Massachusetts Hockey, The Athletic and the B1G Ice Hockey blog, which covered Big Ten ice hockey.

A proud graduate of Iowa State University, she covered multiple sports -- in print and through video -- during her four years there.

"The Minnesota Wild organization is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Jessi Pierce and her children," the Wild said in a statement. "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 during her time covering the Wild and the NHL. 

"Jessi and her children will be greatly missed. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to their family, friends, and all who knew and loved them."