MILWAUKEE — After leading the Florida Panthers to an NHL Championship this past June, it was finally general manager Bill Zito’s turn to take the Stanley Cup on a trip down memory lane Wednesday morning.
“For hockey people to be able to think, hey someday we can all get together with the Stanley Cup — it's magic," Zito said about returning to his hometown.
Bill Zito grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. He attended the University School of Milwaukee and played on the varsity ice hockey team from 1984 to 1987.
Zito held a private event at his alma mater Wednesday morning where he reconnected with former teammates. While it marked a full-circle moment with the Stanley Cup in hand, he also used the event as an opportunity to inspire UWM's boys' and girls' hockey teams.
“We have a strong tradition of alumni in our hockey program and the kids see it every day on the Wall of Fame, but to be able to see the Cup up close and personal," USM boys' head coach Corbin McGuire shared. "Bill mentioned in his remarks that one day this could be one of these kids.”
Watch: Stanley Cup takes a tour around Milwaukee Wednesday:
“Knowing that someone like that high up in the NHL came from USM — it pushes me to be better and know that I could accomplish something like that someday in my future," senior defender Leah Twente added.
The Stanley Cup started the day at Fiserv Forum. Zito also brought the trophy to Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in an effort to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. He lost both his mother and sister to battles with cancer.
However, as fate would have it, Zito was also surprised by one of his former teammates.
“One of our buddies is ill and we were thinking actually about punking him and just showing up at his house," Zito shared. "When we were at Froedtert he was there, and so there's a little serendipity involved on that one.”
The Stanley Cup is headed to Toronto next for another hometown tour.
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