Former Brewers bat boy has been behind the Florida Panthers' journey to Stanley Cup Finals

The Florida Panthers head into Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday night in a bind, down 3-1 to the Las Vegas Golden Knights and on the road. As was the case for their Miami brethren the Miami Heat on Monday, it's possible the Cinderella ride for a No. 8 seed has reached its conclusion in the league finals.

But like the Heat, who lost in five games to the Denver Nuggets yet nonetheless orchestrated a wild postseason ride behind Marquette University alumnus Jimmy Butler, there's a dash of Milwaukee in the story.

General manager Bill Zito, a former Milwaukee Brewers bat boy and alumnus of University School of Milwaukee, is a finalist for the league's general manager of the year in his third season at the helm.

He was bat boy for the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers

He's spoken before about his high-school days working as a bat boy for the early 1980s Milwaukee Brewers, including the 1982 team that reached the World Series, and he describes his relationship with legendary Brewers GM Harry Dalton as inspiring his career path.

"He took me under his wing," Zito told The Hockey News. "It was the 1982 Brewers who went to Game 7 of the World Series. He was so kind to me and afforded me the opportunity. I could go up to his office whenever I wanted, I could learn scouting. He took the time to explain everything to me and always encouraged me to get into the management side. He said, 'Maybe you'd like to be a GM someday,' and I would tell him, 'Mr. Dalton, I want to play hockey.' He said, 'OK, well, do it in hockey. If you can't be a hockey player, just get into management. It’s a great career.'"

Zito's career included time as Badgers graduate assistant hockey coach (and as an agent for top Admirals player)

Zito played three seasons of hockey at Yale and a year of professional hockey in Europe before returning to law school at the University of Wisconsin from 1990-93, where he also served as a graduate assistant for the Badgers hockey team as well as a radio color commentator until he graduated.

Shortly thereafter, he founded Acme World Sports agency and represented Vezina Trophy winners (NHL's best goaltender) Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask, Vezina Trophy finalist Antii Niemi, Selke Trophy winner (best forward with defensive skills) John Madden and All-Stars Kimmo Timonen and Brian Rafalski.

In 1997, he represented Madison native Joe Frederick, who signed a 25-day compact with the Milwaukee Admirals and led the team in scoring before entertaining other offers at the end of the deal. The Admirals were then part of the International Hockey League, before they became an affiliate of the Nashville Predators in 1998. Frederick wound up taking more money to play for Manitoba in a move that made Milwaukee headlines.

But starting in 2013, Zito's career took a different turn. He spent seven seasons as assistant general manager with the Columbus Blue Jackets over two stints, with a brief period as general manager of the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets' American Hockey League Affiliate. By 2019 he was promoted to vice president of hockey operations and associate general manager, and in 2020, he was hired as Panthers general manager.

Florida enjoyed a rapid turnaround under Bill Zito

Florida's quick improvement netted Zito one of the three finalist spots for the Jim Gregory Award honoring the top general manager in the NHL. He wasn't selected as the winner, but he'll have another opportunity this year when the award is announced June 28.

The Panthers went 37-14-5 in an abbreviated 2020-21 season and 58-18-6 last year to with the Presidents' Trophy for most points in the regular season. Ironically, despite just a 42-32-8 record this season, this is the team that's gone the deepest into the postseason, with the Panthers shocking powerhouse Boston in the first round, 4-3, followed by wins over Toronto and Carolina by a combined 8-1 ledger.

It's an eerie symmetry with the Heat, who like the Panthers, were a top seed in the conference playoffs last year but fell short of the league finals, followed by a run to the finals as a No. 8 seed one year later. The Panthers lost to eventual Stanley Cup runner-up Tampa Bay in the second round in 2022.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Brewers bat boy has been leader for Florida Panthers