Career
Between stints as a player with the Trail Smoke Eaters, he was instrumental in developing hockey in Czechoslovakia throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He established the sport at the grassroots level while coaching the Czechoslovak national team to European and World Championship titles, as well as a silver medal at the 1948 Olympics. Buckna began his career with his hometown amateur team, the Trail Smoke Eaters, in 1932.
During his rookie year, he helped the team to a Savage Cup championship as the top provincial senior hockey team in British Columbia.
After joining LTC Praha"s hockey club as player and coach, he continued on in the same dual role with the Czechoslovak national team Buckna led the country to back-to-back European titles in 1938 and 1939.
He returned home due to the German occupation of Czechoslovakia as part of World World War World War II Back in North America, he was offered a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (National Hockey League) after a successful tryout, but declined. He resumed playing with the Smoke Eaters and led the club with 66 points in 1941-1942.
In 1946, Buckna moved back to Prague and was given authority over Czechoslovakia"s entire hockey system.
At the grassroots level, he established a minor hockey system, organized hockey clinics and coached junior and senior teams throughout the country. He resumed his head coaching position with the national team, leading them to the country"s first ever World Championship title in 1947. The following year, he earned his third European title.
Buckna returned home from Czechoslovakia a second time shortly after the Olympics due to the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d"état and resumed playing for the Smoke Eaters.
After retiring as a player, he was offered a coaching position with the Canadian national team in 1956, but declined, going on to coach the Rossland Warriors and Junior Smoke Eaters instead.
