John Gilbert, who covered hockey for the Star Tribune for three decades, died Wednesday. Gilbert was 82.

Gilbert, a Duluth native who was living in Duluth when he died, began his newspaper career in his hometown. He worked at the Duluth News Tribune for several years before being hired by the Star Tribune in 1967.

Over the next 30 years he covered all levels of hockey, from high schools to the NHL and the Olympics. In one stretch, he simultaneously covered the Gophers, the NHL's North Stars and the World Hockey Association's Fighting Saints. He was, as he told Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse in January 2024, "our hockey department." Gilbert was recovering from a heart stoppage when Reusse wrote about him.

Gilbert authored books about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and about hockey coach Herb Brooks.

He also covered auto racing and wrote about the automotive industry.

Gilbert's father, Wally, is one of the top all-around athletes in state history. Wally Gilbert played five seasons in the major leagues and also played four seasons with the Duluth Eskimos of the NFL.