SUNRISE, Fla. — Bill Zito has been promoted by the Florida Panthers, with the team announcing Monday that its general manager will now also serve as the team’s president of hockey operations.

The promotion came with a multiyear contract extension, the terms of which were not revealed by the reigning Eastern Conference champions.

Zito’s arrival four years ago sparked a massive turnaround by the Panthers, who have made the playoffs in all four of his seasons leading the front office — a streak unlike any other in club history — and have won more than half their games in all four of those seasons. In the 26 seasons before Zito, Florida had a total of three seasons when it won more than 50% of its games.

“Obviously on a personal level, I’m thrilled and honored,” Zito said. “And I’m grateful to be able to continue to try to keep building and keep pursuing the goal of making this a destination franchise.”

It’s another example of the Panthers locking up talent for years to come, with one of owner Vincent Viola’s mandates being to assure the fan base that what’s being built in Florida is being built to last for many years.

Among those in Florida with long-term deals: Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, Gustav Forsling, coach Paul Maurice, and now, the guy who got all those contracts done with the Panthers.

“From his first day as a Panther, Bill has demonstrated his complete commitment to success both on and off the ice. He has worked steadfastly and tirelessly to establish a new standard of excellence for our franchise,” Viola said. “The future has never looked brighter in South Florida, and we are thrilled that Bill will continue to lead the way.”

Florida has the fifth-best record in the NHL during Zito’s tenure, plus leads the league in comeback wins, overtime wins and shots on goal. The Panthers are tied with Edmonton for second in the NHL in goals over Zito’s four seasons entering Monday; they have 1,073, three fewer than Colorado had.

Also under Zito, a two-time GM of the year finalist, the Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022 and went to the Stanley Cup Final last season.

“Under Bill’s leadership we have seen renewed fan excitement, consistent playoff appearances and a sustained culture of success,” Panthers alternate governor Michael Viola said. “Through this extension, we are recommitting to stability and strength at the heart of our organization, and the continued growth of our sport throughout Broward County and South Florida.”

Last week, USA Hockey completed its management staff for the upcoming NHL 4 Nations Face-Off & the 2026 Olympic team, and Zito was named an assistant general manager by GM Bill Guerin.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK — The New York Rangers have been on a mission since falling to the New Jersey Devils in the opening round of the playoffs last spring. They responded by finishing with the NHL’s best regular-season record.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist, Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and the New York Rangers beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 on Monday night to clinch the Presidents’ Trophy.

Jack Roslovic, Adam Fox and Alexis Lafreniere also scored and Chris Kreider had two assists as the Rangers won their league-best 55th game and finished with 114 points — both franchise records — and will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

New York won for the fifth time in seven games and went 26-7-1 in its past 34 games. It previously won the Presidents’ Trophy in 1991-92, 1993-94 — when it won the Stanley Cup the only time since 1940 — and 2014-15.

“Obviously it’s an accomplishment,” Rangers captain Jacob Trouba said. “Now it’s a quick turn of the page and we get ready for the real stuff.”

Four teams — Washington, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia — are still in contention to finish in the second wild card and meet the Rangers in the opening round of the postseason. The Rangers had 107 points last year but were eliminated in seven games in the first round by the second-place Devils.

“They’ve been there all year. The team played well. They competed hard,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re a group that feels like when they put their equipment on, they can win … Now you’re heading into why you did all that work, the first round of the playoffs.”

Roslovic, acquired from Columbus on March 8, scored his third goal with the Rangers and ninth overall this season at 5:55 of the first, beating Ottawa goalie Joonas Korpisalo by finishing off a 2-on-1 passing play with Kreider.

“It feels good. I’m glad to contribute,” Roslovic said. “It’s a special time to be able to come in and be a helping hand.”

Fox put the Rangers ahead 2-0 with a short-handed goal at 8:58 of the second. Fox finessed a pass from Kreider past Korpisalo for his 17th goal of the season with Kaapo Kakko — playing his 300th NHL game — in the penalty box for slashing. Fox has the most goals by a Rangers defenseman since Brian Leetch scored 21 in 2000-01.

“Knowing what was on the line tonight was a good way to end our season,” Fox said. “It’s been a full team effort with everyone chipping in. We did a good job a bearing down tonight and the crowd was into it.”

Panarin made it 3-0 with his 49th goal at 4:34 of the third. Panarin finished with 120 points — second most in Rangers history to Jaromir Jagr’s 123 in 2005-06 — and with points in a franchise-record 67 of his 82 games this season.

With the Garden crowd chanting “MVP, MVP” trying to exhort their star, Panarin had a chance to score his 50th goal with a late Rangers power play, but Korpisalo denied him twice. The 32-year-old Russian forward had seven shots on goal. He smiled when asked to assess his 120-point season and his 18 shot attempts in Monday’s game.

“Multiple things, partners, coaching staff — the whole team,” Panarin cited as reasons for his best statistical year. “Pretty fun season. It’s good to have that experience but there’s no time to relax.”

Lafreniere increased the lead to 4-0 with seven minutes remaining in the third with his 28th, concluding a pretty setup from Panarin and defenseman Erik Gustafsson.

Kreider finished with 75 points, including 39 goals, for the second-highest points total of his career.

Shesterkin won seven of his past nine starts to finish the regular season at 36-17-2. In 22 games since Feb. 12, the 28-year-old Russian netminder was 16-5-1 with four shutouts.

The Rangers finished 30-11-0 at home, winning 15 of their past 19 at Madison Square Garden. The 30 home wins tied the 1970-71 squad for most in franchise history.

The Senators will miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season. The last time Ottawa reached the postseason was in 2017 when it defeated the Rangers in six games in a second-round series.

“We gave them the first two goals. Take those two goals aside and it’s a pretty good game,” Senators interim coach Jacques Martin said. “They have a good team. We battled hard. When you play these good teams, you can’t afford to give them freebies.”

LOS ANGELES — Major League Baseball marked the 77th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the sport’s color barrier on Monday.

Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, marking the end of the racial segregation that had relegated Black players to the Negro Leagues for decades.

“Jackie Robinson became the most vilified, targeted subject of verbal abuse and malicious treatment in the sports arena since Jack Johnson had the audacity to become heavyweight champion of the world in 1908,” sociologist and civil rights activist Harry Edwards said at Dodger Stadium. “Like Jack Johnson, Jackie Robinson stood alone.”

Members of Robinson’s family, including his 101-year-old widow, were at ballparks from coast to coast to honor him.

At New York’s Citi Field, Rachel Robinson rode in a golf cart to the Mets dugout, where she was given flowers by manager Carlos Mendoza and retired players Mookie Wilson and Butch Huskey — the last Met to wear Robinson’s No. 42.

“She’s the legacy of perseverance,” said David Robinson, the youngest son of Jackie and Rachel Robinson.

The Robinson family is in attendance for a very special day 💙 #Jackie42 pic.twitter.com/AkJaiIbACy

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 15, 2024

Every team playing Monday wore No. 42 jerseys.

Robinson’s life story is particularly poignant to the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts, the first manager of Asian heritage and second Black manager to lead a team to a World Series title.

“He had a big burden in his life to be a professional baseball player but to take on all this negativity, this hate towards him, his wife, his kids, and still persevere,” Roberts said.

Players and staff from the Dodgers, including Shohei Ohtani, and the Washington Nationals surrounded Robinson’s statue in Centerfield Plaza hours before game time in Los Angeles.

“I can’t say enough of what Jackie Robinson’s meant to not only the Black community but the Hispanic community, as well,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told the group. “He opened the doors for many, many great players, he really did, and he changed the lives of many, including myself. I don’t know if I would be here if it wasn’t for Jackie. My idol Roberto Clemente definitely, probably, wouldn’t have been around.”

“He exemplifies what it means to have strength, courage and passion,” Martinez said of Robinson.

Reggie Smith, who never played on a losing team in his 13-year MLB career, recalled nervously speaking to Robinson when they were on the same flight from Los Angeles to the East Coast. Smith introduced himself and said Robinson told him, “I know who you are, and I know what you stand for.”

“That meant so much to me,” Smith told the players. “Whenever there was injustice on that ballfield of any kind, I would speak up because he gave me the courage to be able to do that.”

The Dodgers and Nationals also were joined by Ayo Robinson, a granddaughter of Jackie and Rachel Robinson who was born after Jackie’s death in 1972. Her father is David Robinson.

“I soak up my grandfather through the experience of others,” she said after the ceremony. “The fact that he is still so impactful in our society today means a lot to me as a person, but it means a lot to me as an American, as well.”

Smith urged today’s MLB players to remember Jackie Robinson and his travails, which included being barred from hotels and restaurants because of his skin color as well as on-field verbal abuse from fans and opposing teams.

“Keep it in mind so that this game can continue to move forward the way that it has over the last years,” Smith said, “and be thankful that you’re here and you’re able to do the things that you do day in and day out.”

In related news, former National League Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, the 1988 World Series MVP for the Dodgers, has purchased a painting titled “Grace” that depicts Robinson praying around a dinner table with Martin Luther King Jr. and former Dodgers greats Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe.

Hershiser plans to keep the painting at its current home, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

“I’m honored to be its owner,” he said in a statement. “It marks a very important historical time, and it is important to keep this piece where people can learn about this moment.”

Artist Dave Hobrecht donated his painting for display at the museum in 2020, but the wooden canvas was damaged during shipment, resulting in a crack that completely detached the bottom portion of the image from the rest.

Hobrecht and museum president Bob Kendrick decided to reframe the piece and keep it the way it arrived.

“Not having a breakable spirit, that’s Jackie Robinson,” Kendrick said in the statement. “We decided to unveil it with the damage and that it would be a metaphor that beautifully captures what Jackie was all about.”