ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild will establish the Jessi Pierce Media Beauty Award, an annual honor chosen by the club’s media contingent to recognize the player who brings professionalism, access and respect to daily work with reporters.
The award remembers former NHL.com independent correspondent Jessi Pierce and her children, Hudson, Cayden and Avery, who died in a house fire on March 21, 2026. Its unveiling came on what would have been Pierce’s 39th birthday.
Quick facts
- The Jessi Pierce Media Beauty Award will be presented each year.
- Wild media members will vote for the recipient.
- The honor recognizes professionalism, accessibility and respectful dealings with local reporters.
- Pierce and her three children died on March 21, 2026.
- She contributed to NHL.com for 10 seasons and also covered hockey across Minnesota and nationally.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin said the recognition reaches beyond the game, carrying forward the effect Pierce had on the people around the rink. He said her warmth, generosity and kindness made a lasting mark on the hockey community.
“We are honored to carry her legacy forward by recognizing those who embody that same spirit,” Guerin said.
Reporters on the Wild beat remembered Pierce as a regular at the rink whose enthusiasm for hockey was matched by an easy way of putting players and coaches at ease. They said her curiosity and genuine interest helped her draw out stories.
“We feel her absence daily,” the media group said, adding that the award will reflect the rapport needed to cover the Wild and inform Minnesota’s hockey fans, work Pierce deeply valued.
Pierce spent the past decade contributing to NHL.com and became a familiar voice in the regional sports scene through her active X account, the “Bardown Beauties” Wild podcast and appearances on a Minnesota Vikings podcast.
Her hockey bylines also appeared in USA Hockey, Minnesota Hockey Journal, Massachusetts Hockey, The Athletic and the B1G Ice Hockey blog. She often shared the path that took her to NHL coverage, a career goal she first voiced at age 18.
An Iowa State University graduate, Pierce covered several sports in written and video roles during her four years on campus. Her ties to Minnesota hockey also included work as a team manager and statistician for the Mahtomedi High School boys program.
Just weeks before the fire, Pierce wore her Mahtomedi Zephyrs letter jacket while taking her sons to Grand Casino Arena for Mahtomedi’s semifinal game at the Minnesota Boys State High School Hockey Tournament.
Mahtomedi coach Jeff Poeschl called Pierce a strong supporter of the program. “Jessi was a real gem,” he said. “She was a great young woman.”
