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Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod has been diagnosed with breast cancer, the team announced Sunday.
“Hearing those words was incredibly difficult, but I want everyone to know that I’m going to be okay,” MacLeod wrote in a statement released by the PWHL club.
“I am incredibly fortunate to have an exceptional medical team guiding me and together we have created a treatment plan that gives me tremendous confidence in the path ahead.”
MacLeod wrote that while her treatment begins this week, she plans to return to the Charge bench this season and also coach the Czech women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in February.
However, he will miss the Charge’s next game on December 2. Assistant coach Haley Irwin will take the reins in her place.
“The FOMO will be real, but I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by world-class players, coaches and staff who will continue to drive our group forward,” MacLeod wrote.
MacLeod, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s hockey as a player, has coached the Charge since the PWHL’s inaugural 2023-24 season.
Both the team and the league will support MacLeod during his treatment, Charge general manager Mike Hirshfeld wrote in the statement.
“His strength, resilience and optimism shine through in the most challenging circumstances,” he wrote. “And we know he will approach this next chapter with the same determination he brings to everything he does.”
