Bill Zito has come a long way since his days as a hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers.
From a World Series appearance as a teenage hitter to the Stanley Cup Final as an NHL general manager, it’s a life truly lived.
The Florida Panthers took a chance on Zito in September 2020, giving him his first GM job in the NHL after the former player agent became an AGM with the Columbus Blue Jackets and made several moves on GM jobs elsewhere. places.
Zito interviewed for GM vacancies with the Buffalo Sabers (Jason Botterill was hired), Minnesota Wild (Paul Fenton was hired), Wild again (Bill Guerin got him), Carolina Hurricanes (owner Tom Dundon ended up not hiring a general manager after interviewing several candidates). , naming team president Don Waddell GM in his place), Philadelphia Flyers (Chuck Fletcher got him), Edmonton Oilers (Ken Holland got him) and New Jersey Devils (where the owners interviewed several people, including Zito, before finally promote interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald to the position). full time work).
All of which is to say that Zito hasn’t taken the easy path to where he is today. He has had to be patient. For starters, he took the risk of leaving his player agency business. Acme World Sports, a firm he founded in 1995, had represented the likes of Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, John Madden, Kimmo Timonen and Brian Rafalski. He jumped into a whole new world as the Blue Jackets’ AGM in 2013.
So when the Panthers announced this week that they had signed Zito to a multi-year extension (his previous contract was set to expire after next season) and had also promoted him to the title of president of hockey operations, one had to sit up and consider. the path traveled.
“You feel very lucky, blessed and honored,” were Zito’s first words when we caught up by phone Monday night. “I feel very grateful to the Violas (the team’s owners) for the opportunity.
“And for the opportunity to be a part of something. You know, we’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to bring together a good group of like-minded people here. Being able to be part of this is a privilege.”
It’s been quite a journey. One is still short of a Stanley Cup, but Zito created a team in Florida that can try not just this year but for several years to come.
“One of the blessings here is the core group,” Zito said. “They are not just good players, they are great people.
“And the group of people I work with every day, learn from, interact with, and challenge me from, is extraordinary.”
Team USA Olympic General Manager Bill Guerin has gotten to know Zito well and they will now work together as part of the country’s management group for the 4 Nations and the Olympic Games.
“Honestly, I love Billy,” Guerin said Tuesday. “No. 1, as a person, he and I have gotten closer over the last 10 years or so, when we were both assistant GMs. He’s one of the smartest people I know. He thinks differently. I really respect that. He thinks outside the box, he is aggressive.
“Something always happens upstairs. “I just think about him a lot.”
The Panthers only have four players remaining on their NHL roster since Zito was named general manager on September 2, 2020: captain Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Sergei Bobrovsky and Eetu Luostarinen. The first three are important and key veterans, without a doubt.
Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad have been part of the Panthers’ core since before Bill Zito arrived as general manager. (James Guillory/USA Today)
Zito makes a point to congratulate former Panthers general manager Dale Tallon for leaving behind a strong core and good assets to inherit.
“I met some pretty good players here,” Zito said. “A little testimony from Dale, right?”
But Zito has been as aggressive as any general manager in the league in adding to his core, trading for players like Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour. There was also his discreet signing of Carter Verhaeghe, his demand for the resignation of Gustav Forsling, etc.
“Billy has done an excellent job reshaping the Panthers,” Waddell said Tuesday.
“Going back to his days as an agent, I have always found Bill to be a creative and innovative thinker,” said Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois. “He served him a lot then and he continued to serve him well once he came into the management of the team. He has proven to be a thoughtful and bold general manager, and his leadership has contributed to the Panthers becoming one of the best teams in the League since his hiring.”
Some rookie general managers sit around too long, unwilling to be beaten in a trade. That wasn’t Zito.
Not all first-time GMs get their second contract. That’s simply a reality of life in the fast lane. And some of those first-time general managers never get another chance.
One thing I’ve heard repeatedly over the years from veteran general managers is that, over time, they have to learn to delegate more. When one becomes a GM, he realizes that his ass is on the line with every decision. The responsibility is yours. It’s an overwhelming feeling and often what you see in rookie general managers is that they feel the need to control every facet every day. General managers have to learn to grow into a place where they know they have people taking care of certain things and they have to learn to let go a little bit.
At this, Zito took a deep breath before responding.
“Everything you said is accurate and accurate,” he said. “It’s a little different for me because I had a sports agency, so running a business is something I had experience doing.”
“With knowledge of the interaction you just referenced and my own personal experience, I still don’t quite understand it,” he added, laughing. “It is still difficult to delegate. I fight.”
Bill Zito and Panthers coach Paul Maurice address the media before the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. (Lucas Peltier/USA Today)
Zito can laugh at himself because he hopes it’s something he’ll get better at over time. But it all comes from caring a lot about every little detail in the day-to-day running of the hockey side of the franchise.
He truly lives and dies with every victory or defeat.
Meanwhile, Zito has tried to absorb as much knowledge as possible from people around the league.
He points to a Board of Governors call during the pandemic when Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs made a comment to the group at large that really stuck with him.
“He said, ‘Someone smart once told me that no one listens to themselves when they’re in trouble,’” Zito said. “I thought it was really interesting. I know I need to do better. And I think everyone could probably do it.”
Now everything revolves around the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Panthers expect another deep run.
The offseason will be busy as always, Reinhart is a pending unrestricted free agent having a career season. One of the things I found interesting a couple of weeks ago talking to Reinhart about his impending contract decision is that he mentioned his comfort level with Zito as a factor in why he’s not stressed about not signing an extension. still.
“I think the relationship we have, Billy and I, the organization and I, is positive, mutual,” Reinhart said. “I feel very comfortable with this continuing. We have bigger things in mind for the next few months, hopefully. But there’s no way I’m losing sleep over it.”
That feeling is mutual.
“I have nothing but respect for Sam and it will be done at the right time,” Zito reiterated Monday night.
If Reinhart stays, it will undoubtedly be for less than what his market demand would be on July 1. But who can blame him if he’s willing to accept less?
They have built something special in South Florida. And everyone wants a piece of it.
(Top photo by Bill Zito: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
