Buller was greatly admired by hockey legends Gordie Howe and Maurice Richard, and other contemporaries not only for his solid plays but also for his good sportsmanship.
Following a tragic explosion at the shop that killed Nathan’s brother, the Bullers left the garment business and moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1929 to join their relatives.
Buller moved quickly up the ranks throughout his childhood and teen years, often playing alongside older and more experienced team members.
Aside from ice hockey, Buller also participated in football, baseball, basketball, golf, swimming, and track and field; earning many awards.
In David A. Schwartz’s article "A Mensch on Defense – The Hy Buller Story" from the Jewish Historical Society of British Columbia's journal The Scribe, he describes how in the 1930s and ‘40s, there was one team in Saskatoon that scouts would come to see.
However, Buller’s natural abilities were too exceptional to overlook and in 1942, at the age of 16, he was offered a spot in the New York Rangers’ Winnipeg training camp.
Buller was traded to the Cleveland Barons mid-season and helped them set a league record of thirty undefeated games, as well as win the championship.
[3] The Buller Family returned to Cleveland for a few years where Hy worked as a salesman before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1962 where he coached several amateur hockey teams.