Blue Jackets Donate to Family of NHL Reporter Jessi Pierce After Fire Tragedy

Columbus Blue Jackets players contributed $10,000 to a GoFundMe campaign established to support the family of Jessi Hinrichs (Pierce), a Minnesota-based hockey reporter who died alongside her three sons and their dog in a house fire earlier this month, according to a team spokesperson.

Hinrichs, 37, covered the Minnesota Wild for NHL.com for the past decade. She was also a co-host of the “Bardown Beauties” hockey podcast with Skor North and a regular contributor to Judd’s Hockey Present, also on Skor North. The fire occurred at their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, early Saturday morning.

The GoFundMe campaign, launched late Sunday afternoon, aims to raise $250,000 to cover funeral expenses and provide financial assistance to her widower, Mike Hinrichs. As of Wednesday morning, the fund had surpassed $205,000, according to the campaign page.

The Minnesota Wild organization also donated $10,000 to the fund, and the NHL Players Association contributed $5,000. The Professional Hockey Writers Association donated $1,000, whereas NHL.com staff collectively donated $2,235, bringing the total raised to over $200,000, according to reports.

The White Bear Lake Fire Department is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire, but preliminary findings have not indicated any evidence of intentional arson, according to a Monday evening statement from the department.

Kirsten Krull, Hinrichs’ co-host on “Bardown Beauties,” described her as “one of the most amazing moms” she knew in an emotional tribute on Judd’s Hockey Show.