"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.
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.