Rowe, then 6, was battling leukemia. A neighbor, Canes coach Peter Laviolette, was inspired by her will and determination and gave his team a motto -- "relentless" -- it adopted in the playoffs.

"In her own way, she was a part of the team," Canes forward Justin Williams said Tuesday. "Everyone knew her. She touched our lives."

Williams' words were repeated by so many associated with the Hurricanes on Tuesday after learning the news of her death.

"It's such a hard thing because she was so special and she did touch so many people," Laviolette said. "From those in her school, to those in her neighborhood, to those on the team, to Canes fans, she touched so many.

"It's just hard to deal with, especially for her parents. No question, it was a long fight for her."

Williams and his wife, Kelly, are friends of the Rowe family. Williams said he admired Julia's fighting spirit, even as her illness sapped her energy.

"It's really heart-breaking for someone so young to go so early," Williams said. "Our hearts go out to her family."

During the 2006 playoffs, Laviolette sold wristbands to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Eastern N.C. Rowe's family donated bottles of Shafer's Relentless wine to Laviolette -- signed by Julia -- to give to players who epitomized that motto.

One of the recipients was Canes captain Rod Brind'Amour.

"It's always sad to see a young kid go through that she had to go through," Brind'Amour said Tuesday. "To me, the thing that's most sad is she was in tough shape for a long time.

"I can't speak for her family, but what we did [in 2006] had to have helped her have something to look forward to other than just constantly worrying about what she was going through. Obviously, our thoughts now are with her parents. They have been suffering for a long time."

Canes trainer Pete Friesen announced last week that his third annual pre-training camp 5K run around the RBC Center on Sept. 14 would be held in Rowe's honor. On Tuesday, he had to fight back tears in talking about her death.

"The influence she had on our team, especially during the Stanley Cup run, was second to none," he said. "I think in her own way, she helped us win the Stanley Cup.

"A lot of times you can start focusing on how rough and tough it is. And then Coach [Laviolette] brought Julia Rowe into our lives. Then you knew what was really tough. If she could battle that, we could battle through a seventh game or whatever we had to face."

The students at St. Michael School attended a Mass on Tuesday. A wake will be held Friday at St. Michael Church in Cary from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the funeral Mass is Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Michael Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Michael Parish Building Our Community of Faith Building Fund. All proceeds will go toward naming a classroom in Julia's memory.

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