"For the last decade, Dale raised the team's profile, attracted key players to South Florida and brought character and class to our franchise," Viola said. Led by General Manager Bill Zito, the Panthers are coming off their best season in franchise history. During that extended trip will be when the Trade Deadline arrives, and while the Panthers are set up nicely to make a run at the franchises first Stanley Cup, its no secret that Zito will make any and every move in his power if it makes the team better than it was before. Everything is better in a group! And if Quenneville turns the Panthers into a winner, once again Tallon will be watching from elsewhere. He's since leaned on the former Blue Jacket for information and insight about his new team. The Florida Panthers are a community focused organization led by an authentic management team that served our country and now serves the South Florida community. Players, coaches, execs vote for NHL's top centers, Lineup picks, matchups, start or sit advice for Saturday, Theodore scores in SO, Golden Knights beat Devils 4-3, Keys to the offseason: Free-agency, draft plans for all 31 NHL teams, Everything to know for the 2020 NHL draft: Analysis, rankings and more, What we're hearing about the 2020-21 NHL season. Tallon had successes, such as drafting Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad -- now cornerstones of the team. "But we'll be fine.". Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time. He brings great experience to our club and possesses a strong business acumen.". Click below for a list of all upcoming events at the home of the Florida Panthers! I can just tell you how I'm going to be: With a dedication to hard work, a commitment to doing this, to work harder than anybody else," he said. The Florida Panthers are a community focused organization led by an authentic management team that served our country and now serves the South Florida community. Bill Zito touched down in South Florida on Wednesday to be announced as the Florida Panthers new general manager and had a text message waiting for him as he got off the plane. But that cant be the end of the story. The Florida Panthers are a community focused organization led by an authentic management team that served our country and now serves the South Florida community. "But at the same time, it's our job to make prudent decisions. Additionally, Zito served on the management team for Team USA for the 2015 IIHF World Championship team earning a Bronze Medal and served on the International Council for USA Hockey. While he was an agent, he represented stars like Tuukka Rask, Tim Thomas, and Kimmo Timonen. ", Julie Zito, his wife, responded: "Florida! My sister dying. Florida Panthers. He took part in two rounds of interviews with the Panthers. Get one turning and the machine starts working better. Its this demand that led to what many few as avery lopsided trade, that sent Vincent Trocheck to the Carolina Hurricanes. The team has had ten general managers since their inception. Zito is a former attorney, turned agent, turned AHL-general manager, turned Colombus Blue Jackets associate-GM. All three are in the final year of their respective contracts though, while Chychrun is on year three of a six-year deal that carries an average annual value of $4.6 million. The Florida Panthers are a community focused organization led by an authentic management team that served our country and now serves the South Florida community. FloridaPanthers.com is the official Web site of the Florida Panthers. Occasionally, Panthers brass would push Zito on some specifics. We will now begin an organizational search for the next General Manager.". Aleksi Heponiemi has a promising future but clearly needs a few years to develop before his NHL-expectations can be truly laid out. More Information My mom getting sick. A few hours later, he sat in front of a video camera and explained why he decided to leave his post in the Columbus Blue Jackets front office to become the 11th general manager in Panthers history. Tallon, then in Chicago, hired Quenneville to coach the Blackhawks in 2008 and wound up watching him win three Stanley Cups there in a six-year span. He interviewed with the Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, the expansion Seattle Kraken and others. He'll figure it out. Zito waited too long for this opportunity to give anything less. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. He served in that role for two years before also taking on the role of General Manager of the American Hockey League's Cleveland Monsters (then Lake Erie Monsters) in 2015-16. They've had to grow up a little too much for kids their age," he said. And bring them along and get some leadership to help them along, and thats what excites me.. His sister, Maggy Schultz, died in January 2019 after having Hodgkin's disease, pancreatic cancer and breast cancer. Click to join our '93 Society E-Mail Newsletter for exclusive content, deals & more! He brings great experience to our club and possesses a strong business acumen.. Panthers official NHL Team Shop. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. "I don't think people care about what you think as much as they care about how you think.". Not even the exciting Wild Card race Florida was enthralled in could fix that. The Cats have been linked to Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun for a couple months, but he isnt the only rearguard that Zito has been considering. His mother, Priscilla Zito, had a second bout of pancreatic cancer last year. Prior to his time with the Blue Jackets, Zito used his legal acumen to found ACME World Sports, LLC and develop it into one of the leading hockey agencies known for representing talents such as: Tim Thomas, John Madden, Antii Niemi, Kimmo Timonen, Tuukka Rask and Andy Greene. To the surprise of no one, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito has been named one of the three finalists for the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award. It's our new GM! If it werent for teams like the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, Florida might very well bear the title themself. Terms have apparently been reached with a new Florida Panthers general manager. Owen Tippett has fallen far from the expectations fans had for him when he was drafted. We're looking forward to getting more familiar with each other in terms of what we are, what we're really looking for in identifying players and how we can get better. "We've certainly got a lot of things [to do]. No one's the same. . But sometimes, fresh GMs and hard-headed owners can force change. The Panthers would like to bring in a top forward or defenseman, someone that will, as one source put it, help put the team over the edge. Florida Panthers and floridapanthers.com are trademarks of the Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks and NHL Draft name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. 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SUNRISE, Fla. - Florida Panthers Owner & Governor Vincent Viola announced today that Bill Zito has been named General Manager of the Panthers. Zito is a former attorney, turned agent, turned AHL-general manager, turned Colombus Blue Jackets associate-GM. Copyright 2008-2023, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are registered trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. Seeing how Florida evolves over the next few years is going to be very interesting. Zito's primary interview with owner Vinny Viola, his son Michael Viola and Caldwell lasted roughly eight and a half hours. He was often called "The Architect", or "Bow Tie Bill" for the bow tie he wore. Before Zito was hired by the Panthers, you could pencil in the 55-year-old executive's name onto any list of candidates for open general manager jobs. Latest videos by the Florida Panthers! "I have had the opportunity to work with a group of first-class individuals, including a mentor of mine, the late William A. Torrey and I've had the privilege of watching the development of the organization's young talent who have become great players and even better people.". The GM role and leader of hockey operations -- that role has evolved so much. On Sept. 1, Zito was named the new general manager of the Florida Panthers, having served as Columbus Blue Jackets' assistant GM since 2013. Get the latest official stats for the Florida Panthers. After his college career, Zito went to law school and eventually founded Acme World Sports, developing it into one of the most powerful agencies in hockey. He made a big move at last seasons deadline, acquiring Sam Bennett from the Calgary Flames, and another at the NHL Draft last summer, trading with Buffalo for the services of Sam Reinhart. Right now, neither player has the league-wide reputation they deserve, thanks to a bit of a dry Florida media pool. Conference: Eastern. Should an unfortunate injury occur, Florida would go from having one flexible, questionable spot to an entire pairing suddenly looking shaky. He first joined the Blue Jackets as assistant general manager in 2013 and took over as the GM for AHL Cleveland in 2015, leading the Cleveland Monsters, then called the Lake Erie Monsters, to win the American Hockey League in 2016. The Panthers extensive search led them to interview about two dozen candidates, ranging from assistant general managers, such as Zito, to television analysts, such as former Florida goaltender Kevin Weekes. ", It was meant as a joke, but there was more than a little truth behind it: Zito was an integral part of Blue Jackets management, and they were allowing him to interview with a conference rival. Stream full replays of every game Florida Panthers Foundation Coordinator Sunrise, FL 30d+ $39K-$56K Per Year (Glassdoor est.) I believe in this organization and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it. It has been three weeks now since the Florida Panthers officially began their search for a new general manager. "I'm not worried about him at all. Its coming from Cuba, weather forecasters say, Why were Panthers the only team not to make trade ahead of deadline? Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito speaks to the media on June 2, 2021. The Florida Panthers will have a new general manager next season, making the announcement early Monday that Dale Tallon is leaving the franchise after 10 years. Zito, 55, was born in Pittsburgh, raised in Milwaukee and played for the Yale Bulldogs. After ten years, the marriage in South Florida between general manager Dale Tallon and the Florida . After a brief moment of confusion, Zito's three children -- twin 9-year-old daughters and a 7-year-old son -- jumped on him, tumbling down to the floor, chanting "daddy's got a GM job!" NHL Rumours: Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Minnesota Wild, Today in Hockey History: Soviet Union Wins Summit Series Opener. A couple of times, I felt that way in the course of an interview. All rights reserved. The organization is on the rise and is experiencing success both on and off the ice. He handled our team really well.". "I would like to thank the South Florida fans and community for the last 10 years, and the Viola family for the last seven with this franchise," Tallon said. Although the Panthers played in the 24-team postseason tournament in the NHL's restarted season, they were eliminated by the New York Islanders in four games. The Florida Panthers are a community focused organization led by an authentic management team that served our country and now serves the South Florida community. Learn How to State Your Case and Earn Your Raise, Climb the Ladder With These Proven Promotion Tips, A Guide to Negotiating the Salary You Deserve, How to Prepare for Your Interview and Land the Job. I probably coached a lot of his players. Bill Zito, who had been with the Columbus Blue Jackets since 2013, heads to Florida to replace Dale Tallon. Episode 49 of the Chirping the Cats podcast features a one-on-one chat with a Florida Panthers defenseman known for his edge and his facial hair. "My wife getting sick. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Big takeaways | Top 100 rankings The Official Florida Panthers Membership Hub. "After an extensive search, I am proud and excited to bring Bill Zito on board with the Panthers as our General Manager" said President & CEO Matt Caldwell. Zito said Panthers management was well-prepared, too. Organize your next outing with the Florida Panthers. Copyright 1999-2020 Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd and the National Hockey League. "There was an instant connection from the first moment we met," said team president Matthew Caldwell, who also called Zito "the most well-rounded candidate that we came across" and someone who "understands how to make a place a great destination for players to go to.". "Bill is a leader, who possesses the passion, knowledge and work ethic needed to instill a winning culture in all aspects of our business. Copyright 2023 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC., a Berkshire Hathaway company. In turn, I'm going to give you 100% as a general manager, and do everything I can to help this team win.". David Wilson, a Maryland native, is the Miami Heralds utility man for sports coverage. It's impossible to predict what's going to catch a child's attention. Florida also doesnt have a draft pick in either of the first two rounds this year, so if theyre going to flip any draft capital it will have to come from its 2023 selections or beyond. Terms have apparently been reached with a new Florida Panthers general manager. After a brief-but-intense search that featured high-end names like Mike Gillis, Peter Chiarelli, and Eddie Olczyk the Panthers have agreed to terms with an out-of-left-field name Bill Zito.