Dunno, but maybe
@Sentinel "smarter" in terms of lifestyle? Everything from diet to sleep, off-ice training & so on. Certainly todays players far better educated & disciplined (shockingly so in fact) than yesteryears. Of course its demanded of them but still. In that department or category sure their smarter, educated. These are all Sprinters really, age of Specialization, players much more one dimensional on the whole however rather than paying it forward whereby one inserts a Bobby Hull or whomever into a 2018 game & lineup, with some of the singular multi-talents like Crosby, Malkin, Ovi etc I prefer to turn back the clock, speculate as to how they'd do on tube skates, wooden sticks, training regimens, travel & diet etc of the late 50's through mid 60's.