Ottawa Charge Coach MacLeod Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod, a two-time Olympic gold medalist who also leads Czechia's women's national hockey team, announced her breast cancer diagnosis on Sunday, expressing optimism about her treatment and commitment to her coaching duties.

The 43-year-old from Alberta shared the news in a statement released by the Professional Women's Hockey League team, emphasizing her confidence in a treatment plan developed with her medical team. "I want everyone to know that I'm going to be OK," MacLeod wrote. "I'm incredibly fortunate to have an exceptional medical team guiding me, and together we have built a treatment plan that gives me tremendous confidence in the road ahead." She plans to remain as involved as possible with the Charge and Czechia, including coaching at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where Czechia opens against the United States on February 5.

MacLeod will miss the Charge's home game against the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday at TD Place in Ottawa to begin treatment in Calgary, but she intends to rejoin the team for Thursday's matchup against the Toronto Sceptres. Assistant coach Haley Irwin will handle bench duties in her absence. "The fear of...