At the age of 15, Gord Buttrey joined the Regina Abbotts of the SJHL in 1941-42, where he appeared in three games. He was picked up by the Regina Pats for the playoff run to the Memorial Cup, and picked up an assist in his seven games. The Portage La Prairie Terriers were the eventual Cup champions of that year.
Buttrey returned to play 13 games with the Abbotts for 13 games in 1942-43, scoring seven goals and 12 points. Then, at the age of 17, Buttrey played in the only ten games of his NHL career when he suited up for the Chicago Blackhawks. Although he was held pointless, the experience was certainly the highlight of his career, having had the opportunity to play alongside the likes of Bill Mosienko and Doug Bentley. Buttrey was then part of a trade which saw he and Hac Highton go to Providence of the AHL, along with $10,000 for goalie Mike Karakas on January 7, 1944.
In 1944-45, Buttrey played nine games in the SSHL with the Saskatoon Navy, scoring nine goals and 19 points. He continued to play professional hockey for another eleven years with seven different teams in five leagues, including two years each with the Milwaukee Clarks and Atlantic City Sea Gulls before moving on to spend just over three years with the Troy Bruins of the IHL. Buttrey played his final season in 1955-56, as a member of the IHL's Indianapolis Chiefs, scoring 16 goals and 33 points.
