1975-76 NHL Scoring Percentage Leaders: The Real Snipers?

For our latest YouTube video, we took a bit of an interesting look at the 1975-76 NHL stats. In particular, we looked at scoring percentage, or shooting percentage – whichever term floats your boat. We sorted all the players by their shooting percentage (shots/goals) and weeded out those who scored less than 20 goals.

What becomes very clear is that those who score a lot of goals, take a lot of shots. But, the goal scoring leaders tend to have a high number of those shots turned away. In turn, those that have a higher shooting percentage don’t necessarily score a ton of goals. And, those that take ridiculous number of shots aren’t always putting many of them past the goalie.

So, what’s the point?

I’m not overly sure there really is one. This is a small snapshot in NHL and hockey history. If we looked before and after 1975-76 and in different leagues and levels, we might find a totally different story.

Let’s just say it’s a fun way of looking back at the game and maybe bringing some attention to a few players that may have been lost in the passing of time…

1975-76 NHL Scoring Percentage Leaders [Video]

First, take a relaxing couple of minutes and see who the top 15 were back in 1975-76…

By the way – our 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card collection page has moved to this location: 1975-76 O-Pee-Chee.

The Numbers

1975-76 NHL Scoring Percentage Leaders (Min. 20 Goals)

Rank	Player	Team	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	Shots	S%
1	Don Kozak	LAK	RW	62	20	24	44	81	24.7
2	John Bucyk	BOS	LW	77	36	47	83	151	23.8
3	Chuck Lefley	STL	LW	75	43	42	85	207	20.8
4	Errol Thompson	TOR	LW	75	43	37	80	210	20.5
4	Yvon Lambert	MTL	LW	80	32	35	67	156	20.5
6	Steve Shutt	MTL	LW	80	45	34	79	223	20.2
7	Yvan Cournoyer	MTL	RW	71	32	36	68	163	19.6
8	Peter McNab	BUF	C	79	24	32	56	125	19.2
9	Gilbert Perreault	BUF	C	80	44	69	113	237	18.6
10	Guy Lafleur	MTL	RW	80	56	69	125	303	18.5
11	Gary Dornhoefer	PHI	RW	74	28	35	63	152	18.4
12	Garry Howatt	NYI	LW	80	21	13	34	115	18.3
13	Reggie Leach	PHI	RW	80	61	30	91	335	18.2
14	Al MacAdam	CGS	RW	80	32	31	63	177	18.1
15	Bryan Trottier	NYI	C	80	32	63	95	178	18.0

Of course, the head-turner here is the fact that the list is lead by Don Kozak of the Los Angeles Kings. Kozak barely meets the requirements, scoring exactly 20 goals. His shot total of 81 pales in comparison to league leader Bill Barber of the Philadelphia Flyers and his 380 shots on net. In fact, if Barber shared Kozak’s scoring percentage of 24.7%, he would have scored 94 goals on the season.

As for Kozak, it was a career year. Although he scored 21 goals for the Kings in 1973-74, he did it in 76 games. His 44 points in 1975-76 were a career best. He would play just two more seasons with Los Angeles, following by a 28 game stint with the Vancouver Canucks in 1978-79 before ending his days in the NHL.

The most powerful name on the list to me is Johnny Bucyk. The veteran was in his last real full season in the NHL. He would play the next two seasons but nowhere close to a full schedule in either of those campaigns. The fact that ‘The Chief’ scored 36 goals and had a pct. of 23.8 tells me this guy was simply full of skill, experience and wisdom. If he was shooting, he was shooting to score.

1975-76 NHL Goal Scoring Leaders

Rk	Player	Tm	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	Shots	S%
1	Reggie Leach	PHI	RW	80	61	30	91	335	18.2
2	Guy Lafleur	MTL	RW	80	56	69	125	303	18.5
3	Pierre Larouche	PIT	C	76	53	58	111	319	16.6
4	Jean Pronovost	PIT	RW	80	52	52	104	299	17.4
5	Danny Gare	BUF	RW	79	50	23	73	303	16.5
5	Bill Barber	PHI	LW	80	50	62	112	380	13.2
7	Rick Martin	BUF	LW	80	49	37	86	327	15.0
8	Steve Shutt	MTL	LW	80	45	34	79	223	20.2
9	Gilbert Perreault	BUF	C	80	44	69	113	237	18.6
10	Chuck Lefley	STL	LW	75	43	42	85	207	20.8
10	Errol Thompson	TOR	LW	75	43	37	80	210	20.5

1975-76 NHL Shots Leaders

Rk	Player	Tm	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	Shots	S%
1	Bill Barber	PHI	LW	80	50	62	112	380	13.2
2	Garry Unger	STL	C	80	39	44	83	357	10.9
3	Darryl Sittler	TOR	C	79	41	59	100	346	11.8
4	Reggie Leach	PHI	RW	80	61	30	91	335	18.2
5	Marcel Dionne	LAK	C	80	40	54	94	329	12.2
6	Rick Martin	BUF	LW	80	49	37	86	327	15.0
7	Pierre Larouche	PIT	C	76	53	58	111	319	16.6
8	Guy Lapointe	MTL	D	77	21	47	68	317	6.6
9	Guy Lafleur	MTL	RW	80	56	69	125	303	18.5
9	Danny Gare	BUF	RW	79	50	23	73	303	16.5

You can’t score if you don’t shoot. A number of these guys had decent goal totals simply because the odds were in their favour. They simply put the rubber toward the goal and hoped for the best.

But, then there’s Guy Lapointe. Guy seemed to do one thing only when the puck was on his stick in the offensive zone. But, the odds were against him scoring with a percentage of just 6.6%. Still 21 goals from a blue liner is always respectable. That total was wedged between the 28 he scored in 1974-75 and the 25 he netted in 1976-77 as the only three times he would surpass the 20 goal plateau during his NHL career.