Hockey fans are a hardy bunch. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find dozens of them lined up outside the NHL Store in Manhattan West Tuesday afternoon in a cold, driving rain. The fans were waiting for their opportunity to meet former New York Rangers captain Mark Messier who was making an appearance — and signing autographs — to promote the launch of his Game 7 apparel brand into officially licensed NHL product.
Game 7, a brand created by Messier in partnership with actor Danny DeVito, Isaac Chera of Crown Acquisitions and entertainment executive Mat Vlasic, the former chief executive officer of Bravado, was launched two years ago as a popular anthology series on Amazon Prime Video. It centered around the significance of the seventh game in the world of sports. The series spanned a number of sports and included the Rangers’ memorable win over the New Jersey Devils in 1994, where Messier guaranteed the fans a win — and delivered.
In April, Game 7 launched apparel with Centric Brands, focusing initially on the NBA. At the time, the team said the plan was to expand into product for the NHL, WNBA and collegiate teams. And that came to fruition this week with the unveiling of the NHL collection. Vlasic said the license has been signed with the WNBA and merchandise will be released at the start of the season next May. He added that the fact that the league announced it was adopting a best-of-seven format for its finals will give a boost to its collection. “This year it didn’t end up a seven-game series, but we’re excited for it to happen,” Vlasic said.
Game 7 is also working with the NCAA and has signed several college teams with more to come in the future.
“It’s up to us to build with our partner, Amazon, the ultimate place for fans to go. We love the speed and functionality of Prime because in this day and age, when you want something, you want it in two days. It’s unfathomable to wait seven, eight or nine days — that’s very, very hard on the consumer. From my past experience with music merchandise and working with fans, I know that fandom is in the moment.”
Vlasic said the Game 7 team was pleased with the response to the NBA collection which launched “right at the crux of the playoffs.” And once that buzz wore off, it gave the company time to concentrate on creating a “robust line” for the NHL.
The line, which is also being produced by Centric, includes apparel for the Rangers as well as the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. The line ranges from Ts and sweatshirts to hoodies, joggers, sweatpants, hats and jackets. It is being sold on Amazon as well as at the NHL Shop in New York and select arena shops such as the one at Madison Square Garden.
Vlasic acknowledged that with Messier as a partner, it would have been logical for Game 7 to launch with hockey-related merchandise, “but sometimes the cards fall the way they do. But it was great. We’ve got some exciting things coming around the Winter Classic and a whole bunch of other things. And the product really speaks for itself. Part of that is testament to Centric being our partner. We spent a lot of time picking our partner. I have a deep background in product, and our other partner, Isaac, comes from the retail space, and we knew that Centric could produce great quality stuff, which is the most important thing for fan gear, because for fans, that’s their touch point. That’s the way they show their fandom.”
Messier added that since the apparel launch in April, Game 7 has worked to build a community. “We have to let people know what we stand for and I think we’re doing a good job of that.” And even though the initial apparel was tied to the NBA rather than his alma mater, Messier was unfazed. “We’re using the ethos of Game 7 to ask people, what is your game seven moment in life? Once we get out of the literal sense of game sevens, it opens up a much broader opportunity to [celebrate] people that have thrived and excelled under pressure.”
Messier and Vlasic pointed to the recent nail-biting game seven ending to the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays as an example. “We saw one of the most iconic game sevens of all time,” Messier said. “So as a brand, we celebrate all game sevens and those moments and players that perform under pressure when it matters most.”
Messier, who played in the NHL for 25 years, brought home six Stanley Cups — five with the Edmonton Oilers and one with the Rangers, and played in nine game sevens, winning seven of them. Hence the name.
The company is continuing to talk to Amazon about creating more content in the future. “We’re exploring what the next iteration looks like,” Vlasic said. “The great thing about game sevens is the content replenishes on a yearly basis. Maybe not all of them can hold someone’s attention for one hour, but there are great stories to tell and other content ambitions we have in short form and social content that you’ll start to see rolling out.”
In the meantime, Game 7 also stepped up to help the Rangers celebrate their milestone 100th anniversary this season. The team signed its first jersey patch partnership with Game 7, which means that the company’s logo is featured on Rangers game jerseys, including a special centennial model, for the first time. The deal also involves partnering with the team on exclusive merchandise drops throughout the season, and creating original content for the Rangers’ digital channels.
The Game 7 NHL collection features a number of teams including the Detroit Red Wings.
Courtesy of Centric Brands and Game 7
Messier said he’s enjoying this new chapter of his life, but it’s actually not the first time he’s been in the merch business. “I had stores in Edmonton, Alberta, back in the ’80s, called Number 11. We would take recycled jeans, unstitch them and make jean jackets. It was a concept that I saw in Spain, when my brother was playing hockey over in Europe. We brought that concept back and started into garment business.”
Vlasic said of Messier: “In design meetings, he was trying to get in there and design. He’s a ‘schmatte’ guy at heart.”