Wild 'devastated' by Pierce family tragedy, GM Guerin says

The death of Jessi Pierce and her three children Saturday impacted the entire hockey world, especially the Minnesota Wild, who she covered for the past 10 seasons for NHL.com and other outlets.

"Words just can't express how devasted we all are," Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Monday. "But as I mentioned to some of you the other night, it doesn't matter if you're in the media, if you're a player, if you're in management, a coach, we are all in the sports world and the hockey world and we're all in this together."

Pierce, 37, and her three young children, were killed in an early-morning fire at their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

She was a fixture at 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.

After news of her and her children's deaths was made official Sunday, several NHL teams, hockey leagues and hockey organizations all expressed their condolences.

In a statement, the Wild said, "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."

Guerin said, "Jessi was always happy, always in a good mood, always a pleasure to deal with for me, and we'll miss her. The great thing about our community is it doesn't matter what part of it you're in -- media, player, coach, manager -- we're all in this together and we support each other. I just want you guys (the media) to know that we're here for you and anything that we can possibly do for you guys to help through the tough times, we're here for you."

One of her final stories for NHL.com was a piece on the Foligno brothers -- Marcus and Nick -- finally becoming teammates after the latter was traded to Minnesota from the Chicago Blackhawks on March 6.

"It's tough. We felt it after last game," Marcus Foligno said. "You could see the look on a lot of people's faces, just in shock. How we're all feeling right now is devastated. You're just thinking about Jessi, the kids and obviously her husband, the family, everyone that knew her and loved her. We'll definitely miss her around the rink for sure." 

Pierce was intensely proud of her family, often talking about the accomplishments of her children. When she and her husband started a family, she would sometimes cover 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.

Pierce would happily tell people about her journey to become an NHL writer, a dream she first articulated when she was 18.

"If you ever met her, you just feel the energy around her," Wild captain Jared Spurgeon said. "Every time she was in here, she had a smile on her face, whether it's talking about the game at hand or just youth sports.

"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."

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.

"Hopefully we can all carry on her legacy with the smile and passion for the game and the way she treated people," Wild coach John Hynes said. "It's tremendous to see the legacy that she left, and you see all the outpouring of support and the impact that she had not only professionally, but more important personally.

"Just pray for her and her family and everyone as well."