Ringette community grieves loss of promising Ottawa player

The capital region's ringette community has been rocked by the sudden death of one of its stars after 21-year-old Julia "Jules" Wilson died last week of anaphylaxis caused by a food allergy. 

Wilson competed with Team Ontario in the 2023 Canada games, and was a member of Gatineau Fusion in the National Ringette League.

Wilson's coach Martin Chénier credits her with bridging the gap between Gatineau and Ottawa when she joined the Fusion, and said he hopes other players will follow in her footsteps. 

"I feel lucky I got to work with her. She made my job better," he said. 

Ringette Canada and the Gloucester Cumberland Ringuette Association have also paid tribute to Wilson online. 

The reaction to her tragic death demonstrates her influence within the ringette community, according to friend and teammate Danika Osborne.

"She's the kind of person you only find once in your lifetime," Osborne said. "The outpouring of love and support that her family and friends have received since this happened is a testament to how loved she was."

Taylor Forrest, another friend and teammate, said Wilson was a huge inspiration.

"Who wouldn't want to be her teammate? We called her 'overtime queen' because she would always find a way to score an overtime winning goal," Forrest said.

Wilson, Osborne and Forrest met when they were kids and quickly became inseparable on and off the ice, Forrest said.

"I'll never stop talking about her. I always said that Jules was so good at finding the beautiful things, the littlest moments of life. That's something I'm going to do now," Forrest vowed. 

Osborne said it will be difficult to continue playing the sport without her friend, but her memories will help.

"I find comfort knowing that my last game was with her," she said. "We were laughing and having fun on the bench. I want to keep that last precious memory." 

Wilson's family has asked Radio-Canada not to share further details of her death.

Her friends say they're also finding comfort in the knowledge that Wilson donated three critical organs to people in need of transplants.

Gatineau Fusion plans to honour Wilson by having her jersey number inscribed on the ice next season.