Red Wings Star Nominated for Masterton Trophy After Comeback

Nobody likes a bad teammate. To have a good team, you need a well-oiled machine. Sometimes that means you have to rely on someone to change when things get tight, someone who other players look up to and can count on to help keep the team together.

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One such player on the Detroit Red Wings is Patrick "Showtime" Kane, a player who has exemplified what it means to not only be a good teammate but also someone who gives back to their community. It's qualities like this that are why Kane has been nominated for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, one of the NHL's highest honors.

Patrick Kane

A New York native who has been in the NHL since 2008, spending much of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks before spending a short stint with New York, and has been in Detroit for the last two seasons.

In his short time with Detroit, he has fought adversity after coming back from an injury and excelling this season. He bounced back and continued to have an excellent season with the Red Wings, and now he may have a trophy to prove it.

The Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the player "who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game." It is named after Bill Masterson, the only player to die as a result of injuries he from a hockey game. Masterson was committed to the game, and that commitment has been immortalized in this trophy.

One skater from all 32 teams is nominated by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA), and then the PHWA takes a poll to decide the winner of the trophy.

⬇️EVERY RED WINGS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK SINCE 2000⬇️

In the locker room and on the ice, Kane is known for being a reliable presence who both helps motivate his teammates and keeps them cool when things get heated. If he wins the trophy, he will join Brad Park (1983-84) and current Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman (2003-03) as the only Red Wings to win the trophy.

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But it's his off-ice work that is just as impactful. Kane has a history of giving back to the community, no matter which team is playing for. While in Chicago, he has made donations to fight racial injustice, volunteered at food banks, and has partnerships with Dreams for Kids, to name a few. The winner of the trophy will be announced during the NHL Awards at the end of the season.