Zanussi was born in Toronto, Ontario, and played minor hockey for the West Hill Minor Hockey League team in the SHA (Scarborough Hockey Association). As a youth, he played in the 1969 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Dorset Park.
Zanussi was born in Toronto and played minor hockey for the West Hill Minor Hockey League team in the SHA (Scarborough Hockey Association). As a young player, he participated in the 1969 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with an ice hockey team from his hometown.