Mike Buckna
Encyclopedia
Mike Matthew Buckna was a Canadian amateur ice hockey
player and coach of Slovak
origin. Between stints as a player with the Trail Smoke Eaters
, he was instrumental in developing hockey in Czechoslovakia
throughout the 1930's and 40's. 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.
, 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, he went overseas to Prague
, Czechoslovakia
, to visit his parents' homeland. 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 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. He resumed playing with the Smoke Eaters and led the club with 66 points in 1941–42.
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. At the 1948 Olympics
, the Czechoslovaks won a silver medal, losing only to Canada.
Buckna returned home from Czechoslovakia a second time shortly after the Olympics due to Soviet occupation 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.
to Slovak
parents who emigrated to Canada from Podbiel
, present-day Slovakia
. He worked in his hometown with Cominco, a mining company, and in his family's hotel business. He met his wife, Aloisie Frolikova, a European champion tennis player, while playing and coaching hockey in Czechoslovakia; they were married in Prague on March 26, 1938. Buckna returned to Trail with Frolikova the following year. Following his retirement from hockey, he and his wife bought his family's hotel business, operating it until 1974. Two years later, his wife died on November 29, 1976. He continued to live in Trail until passing away on January 6, 1996.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player and coach of Slovak
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
origin. Between stints as a player with the Trail Smoke Eaters
Trail Smoke Eaters
The Trail Smoke Eaters are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.-History:...
, he was instrumental in developing hockey in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
throughout the 1930's and 40's. 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.
Hockey career
Buckna began his career with his hometown amateur team, the Trail Smoke EatersTrail Smoke Eaters
The Trail Smoke Eaters are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Trail, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League.-History:...
, in 1932. During his rookie year, he helped the team to a Savage Cup championship as the top provincial senior hockey
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
team in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Two years later, he went overseas to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, to visit his parents' homeland. 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
German occupation of Czechoslovakia
German occupation of Czechoslovakia began with the Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's northern and western border regions, known collectively as the Sudetenland, under terms outlined by the Munich Agreement. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's pretext for this effort was the alleged privations suffered by...
as part of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Back in North America, he was offered a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) after a successful tryout, but declined. He resumed playing with the Smoke Eaters and led the club with 66 points in 1941–42.
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. At the 1948 Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics
In Ice hockey at the 1948 Winter Olympics, Team Canada returned to its dominance, winning their fourth Gold Medal out of the first five Olympic Games.-Rival United States teams:...
, the Czechoslovaks won a silver medal, losing only to Canada.
Buckna returned home from Czechoslovakia a second time shortly after the Olympics due to Soviet occupation 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
Rossland Warriors
The Rossland Warriors were a senior men's ice hockey team that operated out of Rossland, British Columbia. They played in the Western International Hockey League for ten seasons, from 1956-1967...
and Junior Smoke Eaters instead.
Personal life
Buckna was born in Trail, British ColumbiaTrail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
to Slovak
Slovaks
The Slovaks, Slovak people, or Slovakians are a West Slavic people that primarily inhabit Slovakia and speak the Slovak language, which is closely related to the Czech language.Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent Slovakia...
parents who emigrated to Canada from Podbiel
Podbiel
Podbiel is a village and municipality in Tvrdošín District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia. It contains a beautiful set of traditional wooden cottages, which have been declared a folk architecture preservation area.- Geography :...
, present-day Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. He worked in his hometown with Cominco, a mining company, and in his family's hotel business. He met his wife, Aloisie Frolikova, a European champion tennis player, while playing and coaching hockey in Czechoslovakia; they were married in Prague on March 26, 1938. Buckna returned to Trail with Frolikova the following year. Following his retirement from hockey, he and his wife bought his family's hotel business, operating it until 1974. Two years later, his wife died on November 29, 1976. He continued to live in Trail until passing away on January 6, 1996.
Honours
- Inducted into the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame (builder category) in 1989.
- Inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame (builder category) in 2004.