Zack Fitzgerald was born June 16, 1985 in Two Harbors, Minnesota. The third round, 88th overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Fitzgerald honed his skills with the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds.
A defensively responsible defenseman, Fitzgerald regularly led the Seattle Thunderbirds in penalty minutes through his four-year stint with the club. He made his professional hockey debut in 2005-06, splitting his season between the Blues' AHL affiliate in Peoria and the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. He returned to both leagues and their respective clubs the following season before the Two Harbors, Minnesota native was dealt by the Blues to the Vancouver Cancuks. The majority of his first season as a Canuck was spent with the club's AHL affiliate in Manitoba, however the former Blues draft pick did appear in a single NHL game that season with Vancouver.
In the summer of 2009, Zach signed on with the Carolina Hurricanes organization as an unrestricted free agent.