Carla MacLeod, who went public with her breast cancer diagnosis last November, will step away from the Ottawa Charge for an undisclosed amount of time. Haley Irwin will serve as interim head coach.
The Ottawa Charge announced on Monday that head coach Carla MacLeod would be stepping away from the team as she continues to receive treatment for her cancer diagnosis.
"Last November, MacLeod shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and wanted everyone to know that she was going to be ok," the team shared via release. "She remains in good spirits and is focused on her health and recovery. The entire organization fully supports Carla and her family and asks that her privacy be respected."
General manager Mike Hirshfeld added, "You obviously want to get in as soon as you can, and this opportunity came along to get in here in Ottawa this week, and we wanted her to do that and take care of herself. That's our first priority." Hirshfeld shared that the organization has been aware of this for about a week, and that the players were told following the game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
While MacLeod is away, assistant coach Haley Irwin will be the interim head coach, and for her and the team, nothing changes about their approach to the season's five remaining games.
"I think, unfortunately, but fortunately maybe, it's not new to us that Carla has had to step away," Irwin said. "So we've been through it before as a group, and we know that we just continue to do what we do. It's a moment for our team to support her and what she needs to do right now."
Despite not being behind the bench, Irwin fully expects to remain in constant communication with MacLeod.
"There's no doubt that she won't miss watching a game," Irwin said. "She's still going to be involved as much as she can, just physically not here. So the communication will remain super high. We'll want to debrief with her as well, or talk before and after and keep each other in the loop."
MacLeod made her breast cancer diagnosis public in November, and since then has remained with the team save for one trip to Calgary for the initial treatment. During that time, she missed one game, a matchup against the Minnesota Frost, when Irwin also took over behind the bench.
"Obviously, it's never something you want to hear," Brianne Jenner said. "I think as a group, we're just thinking over lots and know she's where she needs to be, and she's got great friends and family surrounding her. We're part of that community, and wish her the best. We can take care of what we need to take care of at the rink, and hopefully make her proud with our effort."