NHL writer Jessi Pierce, three children killed in fatal blaze at Minnesota home, league confirms

NHL Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children died in a fatal house fire on Saturday, March 21, 2026 at her home in Minnesota.

The National Hockey League has confirmed in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “The entire National Hockey League family sends prayers and deepest condolences to the Pierce family on the passing of Jessi Pierce and her three young children.”

Pierce, a veteran journalist who had covered the Minnesota Wild, her hometown team, for ten years as a reporter for NHL.com.

Firefighters responded to a house fire on Saturday morning, March 21, in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.

According to the Fire Department, the crew located an adult, three children and a dog who died in the fatal house fire in the Minnesota town.

While the investigations are underway, the fire chief confirmed the identity of the victims as Jessi Pierce, adding that Pierce was her professional name and Hinrichs was her married name.

The Minnesota Wild paid a heartfelt tribute to Jessi on social media, stating, “Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her. She served as an ambassador for the game of hockey during her time covering the Wild and the NHL.”

For context, Minnesota is widely recognized as the “State of Hockey,” and few teams have a fan base as large as the Wild’s since their establishment at the start of the millennium.

The franchise moved from Minnesota to Dallas in the early 1990s, rebranding as the Stars.