Bill Zito has come a long way since his days as a bat boy for the Milwaukee Brewers.
From a World Series appearance as a teenage bat to the Stanley Cup Finals 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 NHL GM job after the former player agent turned Columbus Blue Jackets AGM held multiple GM roles elsewhere.
Zito interviewed for general manager openings with the Buffalo Sabers (Jason Botterill was hired), Minnesota Wild (Paul Fenton was hired), Wild again (Bill Guerin got it), Hurricanes Carolina (owner Tom Dundon ended up not hiring a general manager after interviewing several candidates, naming team president Don Waddell as general manager), the Philadelphia Flyers (Chuck Fletcher got it), the Edmonton Oilers (Ken Holland got it) and the New Jersey Devils (where the owners interviewed several people, including Zito, before ultimately promoting interim GM Tom Fitzgerald to interim GM. job full time).
All of this is to say that Zito didn’t take the easy route to get to where he is today. He had to be patient. To begin with, he took the risk of leaving his player agency business. Acme World Sports, a company he started in 1995, had represented Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, John Madden, Kimmo Timonen and Brian Rafalski. He dove 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 expired after next season) and promoted him to president of hockey operations, it took sit back and consider how far we have come.
“You feel very lucky, blessed and honored,” were Zito’s first words when we connected by phone Monday evening. “I am very grateful to the Violas (the team’s owners) for this opportunity.
“And to have the opportunity to be a part of something.” You know, we’ve been fortunate to be able to bring together a really great group of like-minded people here. Being able to be part of it is a privilege.
It’s been quite a journey. He’s still missing a Stanley Cup, but Zito has built a team in Florida that can go for it not just this year, but for several years.
“One of the blessings here is the core group,” Zito said. “They’re not just good players, they’re great people.
“And the group of people that I work with every day, that I learn from, that I interact with, and that I’m challenged by, it’s so extraordinary.”
Team USA Olympic General Manager Bill Guerin knew Zito well and they will now work together as part of the country’s management group for the 4 Nations and Olympics.
“Honestly, I love Billy,” Guerin said Tuesday. “No. 1, as a person, he and I have become closer over the last 10 years when we were both assistant general managers. He is one of the smartest people I know. He thinks differently. I really respect that. He thinks outside the box, he’s aggressive.
“There’s always something going on upstairs.” I just think the world of him.
The Panthers are down to just four players 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 certainly big, key veterans.
Zito would like to give credit to former Panthers general manager Dale Tallon for leaving behind a strong core and good assets to inherit.
“I’ve met some really good players here,” Zito said. “A little testament to Dale, isn’t it?” »
But Zito has been as aggressive as any general manager in the league in adding to his core, trading for Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and Brandon Montour. There was also his discreet signing of Carter Verhaeghe, his request for waiver of Gustav Forsling, etc.
“Billy has done an outstanding job of reshaping the Panthers,” Waddell said Tuesday.
“Looking back to his days as an agent, I always found Bill to be a creative, outside-the-box thinker,” said Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois. “It served him well at the time and it continued to serve him well once he became a team manager. He has proven to be a thoughtful and bold general manager, and his leadership has helped make the Panthers one of the best teams in the League since his hiring.
Some rookie general managers sit too idly, reluctant to get beat in a trade. It wasn’t Zito.
Not all first-time general managers get their second contract. It’s just a reality of life in the fast lane. And some of these new general managers never got another chance.
One thing I’ve heard repeatedly over the years from seasoned general managers is that over time, they need to learn to delegate more. When you become a general manager, you realize your butt is on the line with every decision. The responsibility lies with you. It’s an overwhelming feeling and often what you see in new GMs is they feel the need to check every facet every day. General managers need to learn to move to a place where they know there are people taking care of things and need to learn to let go.
At this, Zito took a deep breath before responding.
“Everything you said is correct and precise,” he said. “It’s a little different for me because I had a sports agency, so running a business is something I’ve had experience with.”
“With the knowledge of the interaction you just mentioned and my own personal experience, I still don’t quite understand,” he added with a laugh. “It’s still difficult to delegate. I struggle.”
Zito can laugh about it because he hopes it’s something he’ll get better at over time. But it all comes from caring so much about every little detail of the day-to-day running of the hockey side of the franchise.
He truly lives and dies with each victory or defeat.
In the meantime, Zito tried to absorb as much knowledge as possible from people around the league.
He points to a call from the Board of Governors during the pandemic when Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs made a comment to the group as a whole that really stuck with him.
“He said, ‘Someone smart once told me that no one ever listens to each other when they have problems,'” Zito said. “I thought it was really interesting. I know I have to do a better job. And I think everyone probably could.
Right now, it’s all about the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers are hoping for another deep run.
The offseason will be busy as always, Reinhart is an unrestricted free agent awaiting a career season. One of the things I found interesting a few weeks ago when talking to Reinhart about his impending contract decision was that he mentioned his comfort level with Zito as a factor in why he’s not stressed for not having yet signed an extension.
“I think the relationship that we have, me and Billy, me and the organization, is entirely positive, entirely reciprocal,” Reinhart said. “I’m very comfortable with this continuing. We have bigger things in mind for the next few months, hopefully. But by no means am I losing sleep over it.
This feeling is mutual.
“I have nothing but respect for Sam and it will happen at the right time,” Zito reiterated Monday evening.
If Reinhart stays, it will undoubtedly be for less than what 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 of Bill Zito: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)