MILAN (AP) — 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 the Milan Cortina Games this week. “I’m pretty lucky.”
From Spruce Grove, Alberta, 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.”
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 heading directly from the airport to the rink.
As for the Olympics, MacLeod scheduled her radiation treatments before and after the two-week, 10-nation tournament.
Charge captain Brianne Jenner said there’s been nothing different in MacLeod’s approach, or hint of what she’s experiencing.
“She’s been herself, which I think has been so great just trickling down the organization for everybody,” Jenner said. “She’s brought so much energy. She always does. She’s been herself.”
Charge general manager Michael Hirshfeld called MacLeod an inspiration.
“We are all so impressed by her positivity and outlook in difficult and exhausting circumstances,” he said. “She has a smile everyday, and selflessly continues to pour her heart into helping players achieve their best.”
It’s no different for Czech players.
“It’s an inspiration for us and for other people, other women,” Aneta Tejralova said. “She’s a really strong lady and strong person. And we are happy to having her here.”
Czechia is in the medal conversation, featuring a roster stocked with eight PWHL players, third most among the competing nations. It’s a group that under MacLeod won consecutive bronze medals — the team’s first — at the 2022 and ’23 world championships, and finished fourth in each of the past two tournaments.
The Czechs have speed and depth, and play with a physical style that sets up well against the sport’s global powers of the U.S. and Canada. MacLeod laughed when asked about her team’s gritty reputation by saying: “That’s a sprinkle of Canadian I put into this group.”
The Czechs opened the tournament with a 5-1 loss to the Americans on Thursday. And yet this is much the same team that challenged the U.S. in a 2-1 loss at the world championship semifinals in April. MacLeod was upbeat following the loss in Milan.
“It’s a great starting point. Gosh, like you come out and you play Team USA — they’re a phenomenal hockey team. So it’s really exciting for us,” she said, while suggesting first-game jitters of playing a role. “I was really proud of our group.”
This, of course, was MacLeod in her element, at a hockey rink, behind the bench arguing calls and urging players to their best on the sport’s largest stage.
“I’m just grateful I’m here. There was a time and a moment where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to,” MacLeod said. “And so to be here and be able share it with my staff and my players, it’s pretty darn special.”
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