DETROIT >> Veteran Patrick Kane has been selected the Detroit Red Wings’ nominee for the 2024-25 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”

Approximately two years removed from hip resurfacing surgery, Kane remains an impactful player who is valued by the Wings for his contributions on and off the ice.

Kane, 36, recently scored his 20th goal — the 17th time in his career he’s done so — which is more than any American-born player. Kane has also led the Wings in scoring — 24 points in 22 games — since the conclusion of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in late February.

With an assist in Tuesday’s 4-1 loss in Montreal, Kane moved past Dave Andreychuk and Denis Savard and into 32nd place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list with 1,339 points.

Nominees are selected from each of the NHL’s 32 teams by local chapters of the Pro Hockey Writers Association. The winner will be selected by a poll of PHWA writers at the end of the regular season and announced at the NHL Awards in June.

“Hockey has been my life since I was a kid and I just love it,” said Kane early this week after being told of his Masterton nomination. “Even when I was a kid, I probably skated or played hockey 350 days out of the year. It was a big part of my childhood growing up and I’ve just always loved the game.”

But that love was slightly slipping away two years ago when the hip pain was intense, while also affecting his play. Not to mention, Kane’s Chicago Blackhawks — where he won three Stanley Cups and maybe a Chicago legend — were in the beginning the stages of rebuilding.

Kane was dealt to the New York Rangers toward the end of the 2023 season. After a first-round playoff exit, in which Kane had minimal impact, he decided to have the hip surgery.

“It was important to go with the decision to help me play as long as I can,” Kane said. “I wanted to get back to the player I was before I started to feel the effects of the hip injury. Even today, I still think there’s another level I can get to and be better.

“To go with the hip resurfacing, I’m really happy with that decision because I wanted to play more and wanted to play as long as I could. I feel like it’s given me multiple years left on my career and hopefully multiple more.”

The Wings signed Kane to a one-year contract in November 2023 and he rewarded the Wings with 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games. General manager Steve Yzerman re-signed Kane to a one-year extension last summer.

“I’m really appreciative of Steve and the organization to take a chance on me coming back from the surgery,” Kane said.

“Even last year it maybe didn’t so much feel like it was home or like it was my team, or the team I played for.

“But coming into this year, especially now, I definitely feel like a Red Wing now. It’s been a great place for me to continue my career. I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Kane’s veteran presence, said coach Todd McLellan, has been beneficial to the locker room.

“There’s a calmness to him, a confidence to him that kind of he doesn’t even have to talk,” McLellan said. “It’s just kind of an aura around him that rubs off on other people.

“He’s been through these pushes to get in (to the playoffs), and he’s been through the long run.

“I’m sure there’s pretty much nothing he hasn’t seen, so he can refer back to experiences.

“It’s not like he’s jumping up in the locker room, pounding on a drum, saying, ‘Hey, I did this, and I’ve been there.’

“But you just know there’s conversations on the plane or at dinner, there may be a question that comes up.

“And knowing him, he’s more than happy to share those experiences about what he’s gone through. It’s good to have.”