Sportsnet analyst and former NHL GM Brian Burke, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame's selection committee, held back the curtain on the selection process without holding back the curtain on the selection process. Understand? You will.
With former Blackhawks Marian Hossa and Doug Wilson getting elected to the Hall this year, NBC Sports Chicago's Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis had a vested interest in asking Burke about the process on the latest episode of the Blackhawks Talk podcast.
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Burke, the show's guest, used Hossa to paint the picture of what goes on with the committee's decision-making behind closed doors and how one gets into the Hall of Fame.
"We're not allowed to talk about what we actually talked about, but I will tell you, there's different boxes you gotta check off," Burke said. "The one term that's used constantly is you have to be 'elite'. So individual awards are important, team success is important, international... I think (Hossa) represented Slovakia 17 times. His international resume was fantastic.
"So lots of different things, but plus/minus: great defensive player, one of the few guys who's up in that pile of players with that many points and yet was a great defensive player."
Hossa is still under contract with the Arizona Coyotes for one more year, but his playing days are over. He ended up with 1,134 points (525 goals, 609 assists) in 1,309 career NHL games. The eight-year Blackhawk also finished his playing career with a +/- rating of +245.