Rangers, Mark Messier’s Game 7 Become Team’s First-Ever Jersey Patch Partner

The New York Rangers and Game 7, the sports-and-entertainment brand co-founded by Mark Messier, announced a multi-year partnership on Tuesday that will place the first-ever corporate patch on Rangers jerseys in the franchise’s 100-year history.

The deal will see the Game 7 logo appear on every Rangers jersey this season — including the club’s Centennial jersey — and will debut in the team’s first preseason game against the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Sept. 21. The agreement also includes exclusive merchandise drops and an original content series to be distributed across the Rangers’ digital channels, and Game 7 is expected to be featured during one of eight theme nights the club is planning at Madison Square Garden for the centennial campaign.

Mark Messier, who captained the Rangers for 10 seasons and later served as a senior adviser from 2011-2013, said the partnership was both personal and strategic. "It means a lot to me personally because of my history with the New York Rangers," Messier said in a phone interview. He said he and those involved in designing the patch wanted it to "look like it's been there for 100 years" rather than appear as a temporary sponsorship.

Mat Vlasic, chief executive officer of Game 7, said the collaboration was a natural match. The Rangers and Madison Square Garden opened a formal presentation with the line "The stage where greatness is born," Vlasic said, a phrase he noted echoes Game 7's own manifesto. Game 7 was co-founded by Messier alongside actor-producer Danny DeVito and executive Isaac Chera.

The agreement marks a departure for a franchise that had not placed a third-party brand on its game jerseys in its century of existence. Team and Game 7 officials said both sides were involved in developing the patch; Messier said he was vocal about wanting the design to feel integrated with the Rangers’ history.

The multi-faceted partnership will include merchandise collaborations timed with the centennial and an original content series produced for the Rangers’ platforms. Team officials said Game 7 will also be part of a themed centennial night at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers did not disclose financial terms of the agreement.

Messier, now again working in a business capacity with the organization he led on the ice, offered an assessment of the Rangers’ on-ice state after they missed the playoffs last season following several roster moves and public distractions. "The team struggled trying to unite," he said. "They lost the compass that really kind of guides every team. They're going to have to get that back this year. They made some changes and hopefully that can happen."

Messier added that younger players will need to take on larger roles to help the club return to contention. "Their core players are not getting any younger, so they're going to need help," he said. "The best way to get help in my experience ... is when these young kids can come in and play major roles. There's going to be a little bit of a learning curve in order for that to happen, but you got to be patient. You got to continue to teach to the message. You can't accelerate experience."

The patch will carry symbolic weight for a franchise whose last Stanley Cup championship came in 1994, an era closely associated with Messier's leadership on and off the ice. The partnership comes as the Rangers prepare to mark 100 years of franchise history on and off the ice this season.

The team will wear the Game 7 patch throughout the centennial season and into the length of the multi-year deal, and the collaboration will be a visible element of the Rangers’ marketing and in-arena programming as the franchise seeks to restore on-ice momentum while celebrating its history.