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Feb 23, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former NHL player Mark Messier is introduced for the Los Angeles Kings Celebrity Charity Game for LA Wildfire Relief at Crypto.com Arena. teams. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Game 7 Mentality Continues to Define Rangers’ Mark Messier

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 4:00 PM ET

Former New York Rangers captain Mark Messier is forever enshrined with the organization after his heroics and leadership brought the organization their last Stanley Cup win in 1994. Mr. Game 7 is now synonymous with coming up in the clutch and he lives by that same mindset and lifestyle even in his post-NHL career.

That’s what Messier made clear when I spoke with him about his latest business venture, a sports merchandise and branding company appropriately named GAME 7. The brand made history as the first official jersey patch partner of the Rangers, and it just so happens to be during the organization's centennial season. Which is why it made perfect sense for Messier to reunite with the franchise he spent a decade with.

“We were pinching ourselves every day that we’re actually partnering with the New York Rangers,” he said. “That’s a historical jersey in every sense, for any sport. It’s one of the greatest, iconic jerseys in the world, and for us to have our patch on the shoulder means a lot for many different reasons.”

Not only are the Rangers one of the historic franchises in the NHL, Messier believes that they embody the mission of GAME 7, which made the partnership an even easier decision to make. Luckily for Messier and GAME 7, the Rangers held off on naming an official partner despite the NHL granting permission in 2023.

“What GAME 7 represents and the ethos behind Madison Square Garden and the New York Rangers, it seemed to fit and the alignment was seamless,” he said, “We had a lot of conversations about where we’re headed as a brand… And it just seemed to fit hand in glove for exactly with what Madison Square Garden is about - the stage where greatness is born.”

Game 7 Moments

For Messier and his company, the GAME 7 approach is a lifestyle and commitment. It doesn’t happen overnight and it’s not a one-size-fits all situation, but it does require determination and consistency. That’s the standard that Messier and his business partners, including Hollywood actor Danny DeVito, have set for GAME 7, and that bond is what drew them to one another.

DeVito, famous for movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Matilda and Batman Returns and television hits like Taxi and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. While he may not have had a moment like Messier had during the 1994 Stanley Cup Playoffs, DeVito told Messier and business partners Isaac Chera about his own game 7 moment - his audition for what would become an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning turn on the television sitcom Taxi.

“This was a great opportunity for him to advance his career, and he had to do something they would remember him by,” Messier said.

What did DeVito do? Well, he certainly made a mark.

“So, he went in there to audition,” Messier continued. “He was a little nervous, had the script in hand, looked at the panel, and the addition, took the script, tore it in half, and threw it at them and said, ‘Who wrote this garbage?’”

“Right away they looked at him and said, ‘Oh, you’re Louie De Palma.”

For anyone not up on their American television history, Taxi won 18 prime time Emmy Awards during its run on TV and is now in syndication. It was also the big break that DeVito was desperately seeking and it was the springboard to a multiple decade long career in entertainment.

Great Things on the Horizon

GAME 7 just celebrated the launch of their jersey patch partnership with the Rangers, and it was a huge step for the company. They aren’t resting on their laurels, however, with the company setting their sights on even more down the line. In addition to being part of multiple events and activations over the coming year as part of their partnership with the Rangers, Messier told me that they see a real opportunity in other spaces to expand.

“We see a real opportunity in the food and beverage space,” he said. “A higher elevated offering for sports bars around the country. A lot of merchandise, a lot of team partnerships, a lot of league partnerships, a lot of licensing. We’re super excited about a lot of things that are in the pipeline that are coming out soon. So, a lot of great things on the horizon for GAME 7.”

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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