Although he has been cast as a defensive forward in the NHL, he had his best scoring years in Miami and was one of the leaders in Florida's 1996 Stanley Cup run.

In those 1995–96 playoffs, Fitzgerald scored the decisive goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He was briefly traded to the Colorado Avalanche in 1998 before signing as a free agent in the subsequent off-season with the Nashville Predators, who sought out his veteran leadership.

[1] While with Toronto, Fitzgerald and his Maple Leafs teammate Gary Roberts both played in the 1,000th game of their careers on January 13, 2004.

[4] In October 2007, he was then named as an assistant coach for the United States national team for Deutschland Cup, helping push them to second place.

On January 23, 2024, he signed a multi-year contract with the Devils and was promoted to president of hockey operations also keeping his general manager duties.