Carla MacLeod, the coach of the Czech Republic national women’s hockey team and PWHL’s Ottawa Charge, revealed Sunday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
And in the 43-year-old’s typical upbeat fashion, MacLeod wrote in a message posted by the Charge on X: “I want everyone to know that I’m going to be okay."
“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 wrote. “There are still some variables to be determined as we move forward, but my goal — without question — is to be behind the bench as often as possible.”
That includes coaching at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, in which the Czech Republic opens against the United States on Feb. 5. This will be the nation’s second Olympic appearance, and first in the Pool A bracket, after a seventh-place finish at the 2022 Beijing Games.
“I finally exhaled when my medical team assured me that my treatment should have minimal impact on being present for the Charge season, and that I’ll still be able to coach Czechia,” she wrote.
MacLeod took over coaching the Czech Republic in April 2022 and led the team to consecutive bronze medals — the nation’s first in senior women's international play — at the 2022 and ’23 world championships. The Czech Republic has finished fourth in each of the past two worlds and is considered a medal contender at an Olympic tournament that’s been dominated by the U.S. and Canada.
Ottawa is off to a 1-1 start to the season and MacLeod said her treatment schedule will force her to miss the team’s next game, against Minnesota on Tuesday.
“The fear of missing out will be real, but I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by world-class players and staff, who will keep pushing us forward,” MacLeod wrote. “Being with the team fuels me. And I intend to stay as connected as I can during treatment.”
Charge general manager Mike Hirshfeld said assistant coach Haley Irwin will handle coaching duties during MacLeod’s absence.
“The Charge and the league are here to support Carla throughout her treatment,” Hirshfeld said. “Her strength, resilience and optimism shine through in the most challenging of circumstances. And we know she’ll approach the next chapter with the same determination she brings to everything she does.”
MacLeod, who is from Alberta, won gold medals representing Canada in 2006 and 2010 and has since transitioned to coaching.
MacLeod’s international success led to the Charge hiring her as their coach in the team’s inaugural season in 2024. After missing the playoffs in their first year, the Charge defeated top-seeded Montreal in the semifinals before losing to defending champion Minnesota in the Walter Cup finals in May.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
We're excited to announce our India Community Travel in Spring 2026! Join this virtual Zoom … Read moreTravel to India Information Session (Online)
“A dazzling delight for all ages” Read moreRodger's & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.