Dr. Carl "Bucky" Buchanan

"Bucky" Buchanan was behind the bench for the Cape Breton Capers at the very first Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship in 1975. It’s only fitting that Buchanan is one of the first coaches to be inducted into the CCAA Hall of Fame.

Buchanan, who coached the Men’s Hockey team at Cape Breton University from 1968 to 1987, guided his team to 13 appearances at Nationals – capturing gold at the 1978 CCAA Men’s Hockey National Championship.

“Bucky distinguished himself not only as a ‘hockey mind’ but as a leader of young men who contributed to the university community and community at large,” said Judy Smith, Director of Athletic Services at Dalhousie University. “We are pleased to support his nomination into the CCAA Hall of Fame.”

The 1986 CCAA Men’s Hockey Coach of the Year also guided his team to a silver medal (1981) and three bronze medals (1975, 1976 and 1983) at Nationals.

CCAA hockey eventually became a two conference (ACAC and OCAA) sport, and in 2001, it was decided that due to the lack of balance and participation, the Championship was no longer sustainable.

In March of 1975, the inaugural CCAA National Championships were simultaneously hosted in Men’s Basketball and Men’s Hockey. The hockey tournament was hosted by Cape Breton in Sydney, NS and the hometown Capers captured bronze at the historical event.

“The tournament took place at the old Sydney Forum, where instead of plexi glass, there was chicken wire in the end zones,” said Buchanan. “We’ve come a long way since then.”

His most cherished recollection, however, has nothing to do with a sporting event in particular.

“One of my fondest memories was the inaugural meeting in Calgary when the organization was founded,” said Buchanan. “Many friendships were developed as a result of that meeting.”

Ken Marchant and Judy Smith from Nova Scotia, Don Stouffer and Al Ferchuk from Alberta and Jack Costello from Ontario were among the long-lasting friendships from across Canada that were created 40 years ago.

“We were all passionate about the development of the CCAA and worked together for the betterment of Athletics in Canada,” said Buchanan, who was the first full-time Athletic Director at Cape Breton.

One of Buchanan’s initial undertakings at Cape Breton was to form the Nova Scotia College Conference – now the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association.

Buchanan was appointed president of the 1987 Canada Winter Games and worked with architects to construct top-notch facilities such as the Canada Games complex, the Sullivan Fieldhouse and the Max Bell Sports Clinic.

He attended multiple universities, obtaining a BSc, a Masters and a PhD in sport administration and educational administration. Buchanan was inducted into the Cape Breton Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He was awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2002.