Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod will step away while undergoing breast cancer treatment
MacLeod publicly announced her diagnosis last fall.
Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod will be stepping back as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer, the team announced Monday. MacLeod, who made her diagnosis public last fall, will be away from the team for “an undetermined period. ” “She remains in good spirits and is focused on her health and recovery,” the Charge said in a statement.
“The entire organization fully supports Carla and her family and asks that her privacy is respected. ” Assistant coach Haley Irwin, who has served under MacLeod since the team’s creation in 2023, will step in as interim head coach. An update on Head Coach Carla MacLeod.
pic. twitter. com/dGPMdoM96B — Ottawa Charge (@PWHL_Ottawa) April 6, 2026 MacLeod, 43, announced her breast cancer diagnosis in November, saying that she still planned “to be behind the bench as much as possible” while undergoing treatment.
“Hearing those words was incredibly difficult, but I want everyone to know that I’m going to be OK,” MacLeod said in a statement at the time. “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. “Being with this team fuels me, and I intend to stay as connected as I can during treatment.