Hockey Brings Joy To Charlie Malcolm, Amid Months of Sorrow

Charlie Malcolm endured a double dose of reality this past August.

First, his grandmother passed away after a short battle with cancer. Two days later, his mom, Ginger, was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

“It’s pretty scary knowing how real these diseases are,” said Malcom, a junior who lives in Elmhurst and is a first-year player for York White, the school’s AHL team. “We were all shocked and scared. I never thought it could happen to someone close to me. But I trust the doctors and understand how advanced the treatment is these days.”

Ginger Malcolm, 52, is a photographer – and Charlie’s No. 1 supporter when he’s on the ice.

“She has inspired me to never give up; she is the most persistent person I know. When there is a problem, she always finds a way to fix it,” said Malcolm, who has skated for the Chicago Blues and the Chicago Chiefs and was a member of York’s JV state championship team last March.

“My mom is the toughest person I know; she is handing everything like a champion. It’s hard knowing that I can only help around the house to make things easier but I trust the doctors and know that they know what they’re doing.”

Malcolm has had nonstop support from the York hockey community since last August 6, the day she was diagnosed. There has been, for instance, a meal-train for days upon days of people bringing dinner for their family of four, or just giving the family DoorDash gift cards.

“It’s made life a lot easier; nobody has to worry about making dinner,” Malcolm said.

“Some people think helping our family would involve doing me favors, but my favorite part about all this is nobody has treated us differently. The guys in the locker room don’t talk about it a lot and have made it easy on me, treating me like everybody else. The team atmosphere is awesome this year and everybody is friends with everyone. Nobody is left out or treated differently.”

York White is battling for the top spot in a fierce, multi-team fight for the AHL lead. New Trier White is 12-6 (26 points), followed by a three-way tie as Saint Viator, York White and Glenbrook North Gold each have 24 points. The Dukes stand at 11-6, which includes a league-leading 4 overtime wins. The Dukes have allowed only 25 goals, the fewest in the league. In fact, the Dukes have surrendered fewer league goals than Lake Forest Academy and Saint Ignatius have scored.

Malcolm has 4 assists in 17 AHL games yet is still looking for his first goal this season.

“(Since) I’m a smaller player, I try to outwit the other team and do the best I can when distributing the puck,” said Malcolm, who tagged his dad as the biggest influence on his career “because he is my biggest supporter and always makes sure that I am having fun.

“Having fun is the most important part of hockey.”

Especially since Malcolm knows there’s so much more than hockey.

“I do my best to keep working hard in school and I’ve been taking care of my little sister, Molly. Knowing my mom has a lot on her hands, I do my best to always keep her spirits up,” he said.

“I am looking forward to a great season and every season I try to improve my game as much as possible. This season I am focusing on my physical strength and speed on the ice.”

Slapshots With … York White Junior Charlie Malcolm

Giving Advice: “Keep working hard and let a challenge motivate you to never give up.”

Personal Approach: “Live every day to the fullest.”

Off The Ice: “I work out at the gym to get stronger on the ice. I also play varsity lacrosse at York.”

Hobbies: Drawing, watching movies and playing video games

College Plans: Major in mechanical engineering

Long-team Goal: “I want to play hockey as long as I can and pursue mechanical engineering for Formula 1.”

Favorite NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks

Favorite NHL Player: Cale Makar

Favorite Sports-themed Movie: Miracle

Favorite TV Show: Drive to Survive

Favorite Pre-game Meal: Chicken parmesan

Favorite app: TikTok

Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Cale Makar

Best Hockey Tip: “If you’re not having fun, then what’s the point?”- Charlie’s dad

Best High School uniform (other than York): St Viator’s white uniforms