Mark Messier and Danny DeVito are set to release “Game 7” on Prime Video later this month

Prime Video’s upcoming five-part anthology series “Game 7” will be released on October 22nd. NHL legend Mark Messier and actor Danny DeVito are executive producers. The series, also produced by Words + Pictures’ Connor Schell (co-creator of ESPN’s “30 for 30” and producer of “The Last Dance”), highlights some of the most famous Game 7s in sports history.

The five episodes focus on the 2003 Red Sox-Yankees ALCS, the 1987 Oilers-Flyers Stanley Cup Finals, the 2006 Mavericks-Spurs NBA Western Conference Finals, the 2016 Cubs-Indians World Series and – of course – the Rangers- Canucks 1994 Stanley Cup Final. Each entry tells stories from the perspective of the athletes who played such games.

Messier has never executive produced a series before, and he and his partner Isaac Chera spent two and a half years developing “Game 7,” securing trademarks and intellectual property from around the world. “It was a shock for all of us,” said Messier. “We couldn’t believe that one of the leagues had nothing to offer [the rights] to Game 7.”

Along with Chera, DeVito and entertainment executive Mat Vlasic, Messier also launched the lifestyle and performance platform called Game 7 last fall and developed content series, podcasts and other ventures. “We realized that we were on to something [and wanted to build] an amazing, ambitious brand around the great moments of Game 7 and all the lessons that came with it,” Messier said. “The first thing we had to think about was guidance from [Vlasic]“It was about building a community around the game, and the best way we could think of was to share the iconic moments that Game 7s offered throughout the years of its history.”

Messier said more than 100 years of Game 7 footage exists and likely another 100 years of future content to work with.

The group approached every major streaming company about possible distribution and ultimately settled on Prime Video. Messier said Game 7 felt comfortable with Amazon because of the direction the company is heading in sports. “They put an incredible amount of resources behind it,” Messier said. “They believed in the project from day one. They believed in the importance of the series and how impactful it would be for so many people.”

A bigger message

“You will see in the documentaries that it is not just about sport, but about life,” said Messier. “We tell it from a sports perspective, but these are human life stories. Everyone in life will face their own Game 7 moment, if they haven’t already. Are you prepared for this? What tools do you need to make the right decisions in your life? One of the most important things I tried to do in retirement was to help young boys and girls on their own path, whether through sports or something else. It doesn’t matter – the lessons are the same.”

The final episode focuses on Messier’s own Game 7 as captain of the Rangers, whose 1994 Stanley Cup victory was just celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Fifteen of the 22 team members accompanied Messier with their friends and family to a rented theater to watch the series, which Messier described as “incredibly emotional.”

“To come back and see and observe and get the feeling of what we did 30 years ago and how important and impactful it was, not just for the team, the organization and ourselves, but for so many people across the board “It lived across the country and around the world,” said Messier. “We all sat there for five minutes afterwards and didn’t say much because it was so incredible.”