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. Two years later, Buckna went overseas to
Prague,
Czechoslovakia, to visit his parents' homeland. After joining
LTC Praha's hockey club as player and coach, Buckna 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 War II. Back in North America, he was offered a contract with the
Chicago Blackhawks of the
National Hockey League (NHL) after a successful tryout, but declined. In 1946, Buckna moved back to Prague 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. In his first year back, he won his Savage Cup with the team. 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. ==Personal life==