Mark Messier’s ‘Game 7’ Launches 5-Part Prime Video Sports Docuseries

You’ve seen these games before. But not like this.

Five of the most iconic series-deciders in pro sports are featured in the new anthology series ‘Game 7,’ which drops worldwide on Prime Video starting Tuesday, Oct. 22. The series is dedicated to celebrating the life-changing impact of some of the biggest moments in sports, including the journeys, lessons and memories that transcend the walls of the arenas and stadiums.

“There’s 100 years of history to talk about,” said Mark Messier, one of the producers of the series and the co-founder of the ‘Game 7’ sports and entertainment brand. “We’re looking not only at great, unique Game 7 moments from a sports perspective, but also the human interest story that led to that Game 7.”

Each episode is a deep dive into a memorable Game 7. From baseball, there’s the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS and the Chicago Cubs’ extra-innings World Series win over the Cleveland Indians in 2016. From the NBA in 2006, there’s the Dallas Mavericks’ second-round overtime upset of the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. And from the NHL, there are two of Messier’s six Stanley Cup wins — over the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987, as a member of the Edmonton Oilers, and as captain of the Rangers in 1994.

“A 54-year drought, passionate fan base, Original Six team and generations of fans that had never seen a Stanley Cup — never mind seeing the actual Stanley Cup be presented at Madison Square Garden,” Messier recalled. “It was a seminal moment for everybody. And I think when you’re talking about transcending the game, it became bigger than hockey.”

Each episode offers first-hand perspectives from players on both the winning and losing sides In addition, the production team led by executive producer Connor Schell of Words + Pictures and director Daniel Amigone finds a unique way of framing each story.

For the Oilers’ win over the Flyers, producers incorporated scenes from more than two seasons’ worth of footage that was shot for an early entry into the sports documentary catalog, called ‘The Boys On The Bus’. The plan was to capture Edmonton’s run to its third-straight Stanley Cup in 1986, but an upset loss to the Calgary Flames led to a second season of shooting — and a dramatic arc that went from heartbreak to triumph.

“They basically got permission to follow us for the entire year — starting in training camp and all the way till we unfortunately lost to Calgary,” Messier said. “Now they’ve got to go back to their executive producers and ask for more money to do it for another year. They basically became part of the team and, thankfully enough, we had a coach and a lot of players that welcomed them into our family, welcomed them into the dressing room. It got to the point where we forgot that they were there.”

The production team for the ‘Game 7’ series also includes the brand’s co-founder, Mat Vlasic, and actor Danny DeVito along with Jake DeVito and Lucy DeVito through their production company, Jersey Films 2nd Avenue.

The producers’ many connections helped them attract personalities from beyond the sports world to help tell their stories, such as Rage Against the Machine guitarist and Harvard graduate Tom Morello.

Raised in a Chicago suburb, Morello’s Cubs superfandom was stoked as a child by his aunt. In ‘Game 7,’ he shares his perspective with both passion and perspective.

“The fans played such a role in that story, and we thought it just felt right to do that,” said Vlasic. “One thing we keep trying to do with the way we’re telling these stories is to tell them beyond just the confines of sports. That can be from the athlete’s perspective, but it also could be from the fans, and the people that the athletes are doing it for.”

As a co-creator of ESPN’s seminal ‘30 for 30’ series, Schell has been a key player in the sports documentary field for decades.

“Connor has really been foundational in the evolution of this, and that’s exactly why we wanted to partner with him to take it to the next level,” Vlasic said. “How do we set the new standard? We don’t want to talk about the life story. We want to really talk about that moment in time and the things that we can learn from there.”

Schell’s experience has brought a unique perspective to ‘Game 7,’ at a time when the genre is more popular than ever.

“I think the thing that might be interesting for fans is our theory that everybody in life can have a Game 7 moment,” Messier said. “I think that is the interesting part of our whole brand — it can scale outside of the world of sports.”