‘Humbling’: Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito reacts to Stanley Cup victory
Zito found joy in what the accomplishment means both for himself and his Panthers colleagues
Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito had himself quite a night on Monday.
He stood inside a suite at Amerant Bank Arena with his front office colleagues and nervously, excitedly, incredibly watched the Panthers skate to a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
It was an incredible moment for Zito, the culmination of four seasons at the helm of the Panthers.
Four seasons in which Zito has completely reshaped the look, style and culture of South Florida’s hockey team, and the results speak for themselves.
The Panthers have made the playoffs every season under Zito. Three seasons ago they won the Presidents’ Trophy, last year they reached the Stanley Cup Final and this season…well, it went pretty well too.
For Zito, who spoke to NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek on the ice in the moments after Florida won the Stanley Cup, the enjoyment of the accomplishment came from what it meant not only to him, but to those he worked with day in and day out to make the dream a reality.
“Humbling,” Zito said. “To see Paul Maurice lift it and Rick Dudley and Roberto (Luongo). It's strange, you work with the guys, and every once in a while, (you’re reminded) it's still Roberto Luongo, right? It's hard to argue goaltending with him, that's for sure, but knowing what it meant to them, it's so rewarding.”
Watching the team he built come together as a group over the past few years has been thrilling for Zito and his staff.
The camaraderie that has formed in Florida’s locker room has gained an incredible reputation around the league.
Zito has made playing for the Panthers a desirable destination for NHL players, which should make things interesting when free agency begins next week.
It’s a far cry from how things were with this franchise when Zito was first hired in September 2020, and it was that closeness of the team and the confidence they’d built in themselves that shined through when they met the ultimate adversity during the Cup Final.
“People have been taking shots at us for so long, but that didn't really affect things,” Zito said. “The way the coaches had set up the room, and the way the players were, the outside stuff didn't really matter, and you knew, when you were around the guys, it was calming. And so that was the most, I don't know if that's the right word or not, soothing part of the drama or the score of the series was being around the guys, because you couldn't really tell.”
Zito signed a multi-year extension earlier this year that will keep him in South Florida for the foreseeable future.
We’ll see how well the Panthers can keep the good times rolling in the years to come, but with Zito calling the shots, confidence in the future of the team should be at an all-time high.
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