Before Bill Zito built the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup-winning team, he was a teenager working as a clubhouse attendant for the Milwaukee Brewers during their only pennant-winning season.
Now the Panthers’ general manager and president of hockey operations, Zito returned to Milwaukee to let the Brewers see one of the most famous trophies in sports.
As the Brewers arrived at American Family Field before Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, they found the Stanley Cup displayed on a table in their clubhouse.
“In the hockey world, that’s sort of a gesture of appreciation and respect and thanks,” Zito said. “I wanted to do that.”
Zito brought the Cup to the city where he grew up to show his gratitude for his time with the Brewers in the 1980s.
His family moved from Pennsylvania to the Milwaukee area when he was a toddler, and he stayed there through high school.
He also spent three summers working as a clubhouse attendant with the Brewers, including the 1982 season when the Brewers made their only World Series appearance, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
“I was in the visiting locker room the first year and two years in the Brewers locker room,” Zito recalled.
Zito became the Panthers’ general manager in September 2020 and added the title of president of hockey operations in April. This year, the Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in the team’s history by defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
The Brewers enjoyed having Zito back and seeing the Cup.
Zito took photos with the Cup while standing with longtime Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker and clubhouse manager Tony Migliaccio. Zito had worked with Migliaccio during his time as a Brewers clubhouse attendant.
