After the death of beloved NHL reporter Jessi Pierce, her podcast cohost was left with a tragic opening in her schedule.
“Every Monday me and Jessi would sit down to record the Bardown Beauties Podcast,” Kirsten Krull shared via X on Monday, March 23. “This morning my phone buzzed with a notification that the record is coming up, except today it’s not.”
Pierce and her three children — sons Hudson, 8, and Cayden, 6, and daughter Avery, 4 — were all killed when their single-family home caught on fire in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, on Saturday, March 21.
“Logging onto my computer, sitting at my desk with my microphone where we recorded was another hard thing I haven’t yet done but have to continue to do,” Krull wrote. “I know me and so many others are feeling this, it’s cruel that the world doesn’t stop when terrible things happen even when we desperately beg for it to.”
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She continued, “The world keeps moving even when we feel like we can’t. All we can do is continue to try to move forward the best we can. My heart hurts for everyone today just doing their best to make it through the day. But for as long as I can, I’ll keep my Monday podcast record notifications on because it reminds me of how much special time I was able to share with Jessi weekly.”
Pierce and Krull had hosted the “Bardown Beauties” podcast since 2019, which focused on the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. Krull is currently the in-game host for the Wild at Grand Casino Arena.
Krull also paid tribute to Pierce via Instagram on Monday, calling her “like another big sister to me.”
“She had a confidence and a way of being able to talk to anyone that I envied,” Krull wrote alongside a carousel of photos from their yearslong friendship. “She had an unmatched work ethic and a huge heart. Any time I needed help, needed to rant, or needed someone she was there without hesitation. Most importantly, she was the best mom and loved her kids and family fiercely.”
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She added, “There’s so much more I want to say that I can’t find the words for yet. I hope you know how loved you are and could see the outpouring of love for you and your family from the hockey community today. I hope you know how much I love you and how missed you will be. Thank you for everything.”
Pierce shared her three children with her husband, Mike Hinrichs. A GoFundMe has been set up to financially buoy Hinrichs, who was out of town on business at the time of the fire. At the time of this story’s publication, the GoFundMe has raised over $170,000.
An investigation into the cause of the fire at the family’s home remains ongoing.
