Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod diagnosed with breast cancer

Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod looks on during training camp in Ottawa on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Carla MacLeod, the head coach of the Ottawa Charge, says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer but plans to stay on with the team through treatment.

“I want to share some personal news: I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Hearing those words was incredibly difficult, but I want everyone to know that I’m going to be okay,” MacLeod wrote in a news release on Sunday.

“I’m incredibly fortunate to have an exceptional medical team guiding me, and together we’ve built a treatment plan that gives me tremendous confidence in the road ahead.”

MacLeod says she expects to stay with the Charge while undergoing treatment, and she also plans to coach for Czechia at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in February.

“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,” MacLeod wrote.

“I have the best job on the planet. Coaching the Ottawa Charge and the Czechia Women’s National Team is a privilege I cherish deeply. One of my biggest concerns, outside of my own health, was the possibility of not being able to fully support the two programs that mean so much to me.”

MacLeod says she is starting treatment this week, which will cause her to miss the Charge’s next game against the Minnesota Frost on Tuesday at the Arena at TD Place.

“The FOMO will be real, but I’m incredibly lucky to be surrounded by world-class players, coaches, and staff who will keep pushing our group forward,” MacLeod said.

“Being with this team fuels me, and I intend to stay as connected as I can during treatment.”

Charge general manager Mike Hirshfeld says assistant coach Haley Irwin will serve as head coach in Tuesday’s match while MacLeod is away.

“The Charge and League are here to support Carla throughout her treatment,” Hirshfeld wrote.

“Her strength, resilience, and optimism shine through in the most challenging of circumstances, and we know she’ll approach this next chapter with the same determination she brings to everything she does.”

The 43-year-old MacLeod is in her third season as head coach of the Ottawa Charge. She won two Olympic gold medals with the Canadian women’s hockey team in Turin (2006) and Vancouver (2010).

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