Former Brewers bat boy, Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito brings Stanley Cup home to Milwaukee

The Stanley Cup visited Milwaukee Wednesday morning, with Whitefish Bay native and Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito in tow.

Zito, 59, started his sports career in Milwaukee and was a bat boy for the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers. In June, his Panthers won their first NHL championship with a 2-1 win over Edmonton in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

“Obviously it’s a hockey trophy and a hockey accomplishment, but growing up here … it’s an honor to be back,” Zito said.

Zito played hockey at the University School of Milwaukee and landed a job as a bat boy after befriending the daughters of Brewers general manager Harry Dalton.

Dalton saw promise in Zito as a front-office contributor and gave him advice about a career in baseball. The 1982 Brewers team eventually reached the World Series, but Zito’s heart was in hockey.

He played three seasons at Yale and a year of professional hockey in Europe before returning to law school at the University of Wisconsin. After a stint representing hockey stars, Zito ventured into pro hockey front-office jobs in 2013. He was hired as the Panthers general manager in 2020 and also became the team's president of hockey operations in April.

Zito is on tour Wednesday with the Stanley Cup, a tradition that dates to the mid-1990s. He said he knew he wanted to visit Milwaukee and pay homage to the city’s sports teams. The visit started at Fiserv Forum, where Zito posed with the Cup and Bucks mascot Bango.

“The Bucks meant a lot to a lot of people, both when I was growing up and obviously full-circle now. It's a big deal,” Zito said.

Panthers players, coaches and staff each get some personal time with the Cup to celebrate this summer.

“It’s not mine. It’s everybody’s. It’s easy to say those things, but you really feel that way,” Zito said. “It could have been any one of the gang of people who grew up here. I got lucky and got a few opportunities, but I sort of feel like … that belongs to the community.”

During the rest of his visit to Milwaukee, Zito will bring the Cup to the Milwaukee Winter Club youth hockey organization and the University School of Milwaukee, as well as American Family Field and his dad's house.

And, of course, "you've got to do the Miller Brewery tour."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Stanley Cup at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum with Panthers' Bill Zito