Bill Zito's baseball roots frame Panthers Winter Classic moment

When the Florida Panthers host the New York Rangers at loanDepot park in the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic on January 2, it will mark the first outdoor NHL game in the Sunshine State. For Zito, standing inside a baseball stadium preparing for a hockey showcase brings his career full circle.

Zito's journey began far from NHL front offices. As a teenager in the early 1980s, he worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Milwaukee Brewers, performing every task imaginable behind the scenes. That experience, he says, still shapes how he runs the Panthers today.

After leading Florida to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, Zito now oversees a franchise trusted to stage one of the league's biggest events. That trust, he believes, is rooted in standards learned long before hockey took center stage.

One story still resonates deeply. At 16, Zito was assigned to warm up Yankees star Reggie Jackson before a game in Milwaukee. Nervous and overwhelmed, he repeatedly overthrew Jackson during warmups, drawing reactions from the crowd. Instead of brushing him off, Jackson stayed, encouraging him to keep throwing until it felt right.

That moment stuck. Zito still recalls it with emotion, not because of the embarrassment, but because of the patience and leadership Jackson showed when it mattered most.

Zito credits Brewers executives, especially general manager Harry Dalton, for steering him toward management rather than playing. Dalton taught him scouting basics, preparation, and the importance of details that often go unnoticed but define professional standards.

Those lessons translated seamlessly to hockey. Zito learned how teams function under pressure, how calm leadership steadies chaotic moments, and how preparation allows organizations to adapt when plans break down. He saw it during Milwaukee's 1982 World Series run, and he sees parallels with Florida's recent championship success.

Clean facilities, stocked equipment, fresh uniforms, and respect for players were not small things. They were culture builders. Zito applies that same mindset now, whether managing injuries, navigating compressed schedules, or preparing for a global spotlight like the Winter Classic.

That baseball thread still connects his world. When the Panthers held a dads trip this season, Zito reconnected with Dan Petry, father of defenseman Jeff Petry, remembering clubhouse days from decades earlier.

So when the Panthers borrow the Marlins' clubhouse, don't expect shortcuts. If Zito's history is any indication, everything will be clean, prepared, and first class.