Bill Zito has come a long way since his days as the bat for the Milwaukee Brewers.
From appearing in the World Series as a teenage bat boy 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 player’s former agent turned AGM with the Columbus Blue Jackets took several GM jobs elsewhere.
Zito interviewed for GM openings with the Buffalo Sabers (Jason Botterill was hired), Minnesota Wild (Paul Fenton was hired), Wild again (got Bill Guerin), Carolina Hurricanes (owner Tom Dundon ended up not hire a GM after interviewing several candidates, instead naming team president Don Waddell GM), Philadelphia Flyers (Chuck Fletcher got him), Edmonton Oilers (Ken Holland got him) and New Jersey Devils (where ownership interviewed several people, including Zito, before eventually promoting interim GM Tom Fitzgerald to the job full-time).
All this to say, Zito didn’t take the easy road to get to where he is today. He had to be patient. For starters, he was in danger of leaving his player agency business. Acme World Sports, a company he founded in 1995, had represented players such as Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, John Madden, Kimmo Timonen and Brian Rafalski. He dived 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 promoted him to the title of president of hockey operations, you had to sit back and consider the traveled route.
“You feel very lucky, blessed and humbled,” were Zito’s first words when we spoke on the phone Monday evening. “I am very grateful to Viola (the team owners) for the opportunity.
“And for the opportunity to be part of something. You know, we’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to gather a great group of like-minded people here. “Being able to be part of it is a privilege.”
It has been a nice trip. We’re still missing a Stanley Cup, but Zito has built a team in Florida that can do it not just this year but for many years.
“One of the blessings here is the core of the group,” Zito said. “They’re not just good players, they’re great people.
“And the group of people I work with every day, learn from, interact with and challenge myself, is truly extraordinary.”
Team USA Olympic GM Bill Guerin has gotten to know Zito well and they will now work together as part of the country management team for the 4 Nations and Olympics.
“I honestly love Billy,” Guerin said Tuesday. “NO. 1, as a person, he and I have become close 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 him. He thinks outside the box, he’s aggressive .
“There’s always something to do upstairs. “I just think the world of him.”
The Panthers have just four players remaining on their NHL roster since Zito was named GM on Sept. 11, 2019. 2, 2020: Captain Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Sergei Bobrovsky and Eetu Luostarinen. The first three are certainly very successful veterans.
Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad have been part of the Panthers’ core since before Bill Zito arrived as GM. (James Guillory/USA Today)
Zito is keen to thank former Panthers GM Dale Tallon for leaving behind a strong core and good assets to inherit.
“I showed up with some pretty good players here,” Zito said. “A little testimony from Dale, right?”
But Zito was as aggressive as any GM in the league in adding his core, trading for players like Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour. There was also the discreet signing of Carter Verhaeghe, his waiver request to Gustav Forsling, etc.
“Billy has done an outstanding job reshaping the Panthers,” Waddell said Tuesday.
“Going back to his days as an agent, I always found Bill to be a creative, out-of-the-box thinker,” Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said. “He served him well then and he continued to serve him well once he got into team management. He has proven to be a thoughtful and bold GM, and his leadership has helped make the Panthers a top team in the league since hiring him.
Some novice GMs sit on their hands too much, reluctant to get beat in a trade. It wasn’t Zito.
Not all first-time GMs make it to their second contract. That’s just a fact of life in the fast lane. And some of these first-time GMs will never get another chance.
One thing I’ve heard repeatedly over the years from veteran GMs is how, over time, they need to learn to delegate more. When someone becomes GM, you realize that your butt is on the line in every decision. The responsibility lies with you. It’s an overwhelming feeling, and often what you see in novice GMs is that they feel the need to check every single aspect every single day. GMs have to learn to grow in a place where they know they have people who take care of certain things and they have to learn to let go a little.
At this Zito took a deep breath before answering.
“Everything you said is accurate and exact,” he said. “It’s a little different for me because I had a sports agency, so running a business is something I have experience with.”
“With the knowledge of the interaction you just referenced and my personal experience, I still don’t quite understand,” he added with a laugh. “It’s still difficult to delegate. “I try hard.”
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 that will get better with time. But it all comes from taking so much care of every little detail in the daily operations of the franchise’s hockey team.
It truly lives and dies with every win or loss.
Meanwhile, Zito 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 ever listens to themselves in trouble,’” Zito said. “I thought it was really interesting. I know I have to do a better job. And I think everyone could probably do it.”
It’s all about the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now. The Panthers are hoping for another deep run.
The offseason will be as busy as ever, Reinhart is a pending unrestricted free agent having a career season. One of the things I found interesting a couple of weeks ago when talking to Reinhart about his upcoming contract decision, is that he mentioned his comfort level with Zito as a factor in why he’s not stressed about not having signed a contract yet. extension.
“I think the relationship that we have, me and Billy, me and the organization, is all positive, all mutual,” Reinhart said. “I’m very comfortable with the fact that it’s ongoing. We have bigger things planned for the next couple of months, hopefully. But I absolutely won’t lose any sleep over it.”
This feeling is mutual.
“I have nothing but respect for Sam and everything will be done at the right time,” Zito reiterated Monday night.
If Reinhart stays, it will no doubt be for less than what his market asking would be on July 1. But who can blame him if he’s willing to take 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)