Mark Messier Relives the New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup in ‘Game 7’

As a hockey player, Mark Messier was as tenacious and determined as they get.

That spirit remains in him 30 years after he played in one of the greatest Game 7s in sports history, when the New York Rangers put everything on the line against the Vancouver Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.

By that time, Messier had achieved more than most hockey players could dream of:
• Five Stanley Cup titles with the Edmonton Oilers from 1984-90
• Two Hart Memorial Trophies for NHL MVP (1990, ’92)
• Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP (1984)
• 10 NHL All-Star Game appearances

After being traded to the Rangers in 1991, Messier was laser focused on getting the long-suffering Broadway Blueshirts their first sip from Lord Stanley’s cup since 1940. It was such a long title drought that many fans believed the franchise was cursed.

“What I learned is you don’t win a championship because it’s your turn. You don’t win a championship is because you’re a good guy or you’re a good organization or a good owner,” Messier says. “Championships are won by great execution, creating or executing a great vision, galvanizing a team together to do something special and being able to overcome all the adversity and obstacles that are put in your way, including curses.”

Messier proved that point by publicly guaranteeing victory in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final series against the New Jersey Devils, then scoring a hat trick in the third period to win the game and even the series. The Rangers went on to beat the Devils in an epic two-overtime Game 7 to earn a berth in the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Canucks.

Related: Danny DeVito & Mark Messier Address Thrills and Dramas of ‘Game 7’ on Prime Video

With the New York fans and media all abuzz, the Rangers took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Canucks. Then, thoughts of the curse crept in when the Canucks won Games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

“If you want to use the curse as an excuse, you certainly can,” Messier says. “We weren’t going to allow that to happen in ’94. We were not going to be another one of those teams that came close only to have it not happen. And I think we drew a line in the sand collectively and we were able to overcome all the odds, we were able to overcome all the adversity, all the things that were thrown at us, all the history that we’re reminded of as we got closer and closer and closer only to see teams fail when they got into the same situations as we did. So yeah, I think there’s a lot of things that can come into play if you allow it. We weren’t going to allow it.”

They didn’t. Even as momentum swung in the Canucks’ favor in the third period and the crowd grew silent with tension, the Rangers held on for a 3-2 win in one of the NHL’s most memorable Stanley Cup victories.

It would be Messier’s final time claiming hockey’s greatest prize. Messier played for 10 more NHL seasons after ’94, but a seventh championship eluded him.

“When I was playing, I was solely focused on winning. It was the only thing that mattered to me,” he says. “I was so driven for 26 years playing professional. Everything else took a back seat to it. I played 26 years. We’re able to win six times, but 19 of those years ended in failure, which never sat well. I’m fortunate to experience what it’s like to be on the top of the mountains six different times with some incredible people. I want to win another one right now. Absolutely. Would I give everything I had to go and be able to win another one right now? Yes, I would. But time doesn’t stand still for anybody and it was time for me to move on and try to win a Stanley Cup in another form.”

One of them is Prime Video’s Game 7 documentary series, streaming now on Prime Video. The series features an episode, “The Messiah Promised,” telling the story of the final game in the Rangers’ legendary ’94 season.

Messier and his team of investors and partners (including Danny DeVito!) are behind the new multi-platform sports and entertainment brand Game 7, which aims to inspire people with the courage to face their own big “Game 7” moments in life.