Bill Zito | |
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| Born | William Francis Zito, Jr. (1964-09-16)September 16, 1964 (age 60) Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | General manager of the Florida Panthers |
William Francis Zito, Jr. (born September 16, 1964) is an American ice hockey executive, former attorney and professional sports agent currently serving as general manager of theFlorida Panthers of theNational Hockey League (NHL).
Zito was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to former University of Pittsburgh and Steelers football player, William Zito Sr. and Priscilla Zito (nee McCormack). Zito grew up inWhitefish Bay, Wisconsin and attendedUniversity School of Milwaukee, and then one season at Phillips Andover Academy. He attendedYale University and played on the varsityice hockey team from 1984 to 1987, and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity (Phi Chapter). After graduating from Yale, he completed law school at theUniversity of Wisconsin.[1]
Zito is married to Julie Zito (nee Tabloff). They have three kids together: twin daughters Francesca (Frankie) and Gianna (Gigi) born in 2011, and son William Zito III (Billy) born in 2013.
After graduating from law school, Zito practiced at law firms in New York and Chicago. In 1995 he founded sports agency Acme World Sports[1] with close friend Markus Lehto.[2] Through Acme World Sports, Zito represented manyNational Hockey League players includingTim Thomas,Tuukka Rask,Antti Niemi andBrian Rafalski,[1] as well as several prominent professional ice hockey players in Europe. In 2013, Acme World Sports was listed as the 8th highest grossing hockey agency in the world.[3] Zito negotiated several precedent-setting contracts, including a 6-year, $38 million (USD) contract forKimmo Timonen in 2007,[4] a 6-year, $33 million contract forJames Wisniewski in 2011[5] and an 8-year, $56 million deal forTuukka Rask in 2013.[6]
In August 2013, Zito joined the management organization of theColumbus Blue Jackets. In June 2015, he was named the general manager of theCleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets' affiliate club in theAmerican Hockey League (AHL).[1]
On September 2, 2020, Zito was hired as the general manager of theFlorida Panthers.[7] On April 12, 2021, Zito was named theTSN TradeCentre GM of the Day, for his transactions at the2021 NHL Trade Deadline. On June 24, 2024, he won theStanley Cup as the general manager of the Florida Panthers.
| Preceded by | General manager of the Florida Panthers 2020–present | Incumbent |
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