I just do not see how analytical skills could be less important for analysis than something else. Is playing in the NHL really so different than playing major junior, that a really smart guy who played major junior would understand less than a moron who played in the NHL?You can have all the analytical skills in the world but without game experience your useless.
For they are the only ones with hands on experience.
The brain surgeon parallel is that you are going to ask the other brain surgeons about your surgeon, but they don't know either, none of them has actually had brain surgery. Only the guy who has actually had brain surgery has had the actual experience. Obviously that makes no literal sense, but I don't think playing in the NHL gives some magic understanding. Coaches and GMs need to understand, but my impression is that many NHL players are more like trained animals than like chess players. Certainly when I listen to post game interviews, most of them seem not to have a clue. Not all, but most.