Czechia women's hockey coach Carla MacLeod confronts breast cancer with familiar upbeat approach

Carla MacLeod approaches life with a smile and stubborn level of optimism, making it difficult to imagine what could ever get her down.

Losing a hockey game for Czechia's women's team or the PWHL's Ottawa Charge is always viewed by the coach as a learning experience from which her players can grow.

And dealing with something as frightening as a breast cancer diagnosis in November was not going to alter MacLeod's approach.

"At the end of the day, I'm in an industry that's about playing hockey. That's a pretty good gig. And I've had it my whole life," MacLeod said after arriving at Milano Cortina 2026 this week.

"I'm pretty lucky."

From Spruce Grove, Alta., the 43-year-old MacLeod won two Olympic gold medals as a Canadian defender.

Since transitioning to coaching, MacLeod has transformed the Czechs into medal contenders in a four-year tenure that began after the team finished seventh in its Olympic debut in 2022. In the PWHL, she coached the Charge to a Walter Cup finals appearance in May, which Ottawa lost to defending champion Minnesota.

MacLeod acknowledged having had some dark moments since her diagnosis.

"There's been lots of tears and lots of uncertainty," she said. "Like there's not anyone that hears cancer and it's all rosy."

Ottawa Charge coach talks about cancer diagnosis

And yet, MacLeod has refused to give into fear.

"At the end of the day, I've won medals, I've not won medals, and my life keeps going," she said.

"I'm not going to choose to expend my energy on being negative when I can have a chance to maybe enjoy it and be positive."

As Charge coach, MacLeod has missed just one game, the first after receiving her diagnosis by traveling to Alberta to begin treatment. She made sure to not miss a second game by