Triumph, the legendary rock power trio from Mississauga, has big plans to commemorate its 50th anniversary this year. But the band is already enjoying an unexpected resurgence thanks to Rogers Sportsnet, which used one of its hits in promos for the first two rounds of the National Hockey League playoffs.
鈥淟ay It on the Line,鈥 from Triumph鈥檚 third studio album, 1979鈥檚 鈥淛ust a Game,鈥 was chosen by Rogers for a promotional ad that ran numerous times throughout all the games it televised.
Gil Moore, the band鈥檚 drummer, told the Star that since Universal Music owns Triumph鈥檚 publishing rights, the band had no idea the song was going to be used.
鈥淔irst of all, you鈥檙e not expecting it, so it鈥檚 kind of a shock when it happens,鈥 he said. 鈥淎ll of a sudden there it was, so it was a real thrill 鈥 like an overtime goal.鈥
鈥淭he commercial,鈥 he added, 鈥減uts an underline on the band鈥檚 legacy.鈥
In late February, Rogers鈥 brand and sponsorship team began working with its ad agency on a marketing plan for the playoffs when it became clear multiple Canadian teams would be competing; what started out at five is now down to one.
Terrie Tweddle, Rogers鈥 chief brand and communications officer, said the company wanted to continue its 鈥淭his Is Our Game鈥 campaign, launched during the 4 Nations Face-Off. The self-proclaimed 鈥淐anada鈥檚 home of hockey,鈥 Rogers decided to use a Canadian artist for the promotion. Rush, Trooper, the Tragically Hip and Gordon Lightfoot were among those considered, Tweddle said.
Rogers chose 鈥淟ay It on the Line,鈥 she said, because the song perfectly embodied the playoffs.
鈥(It) really captured the kickoff of the NHL playoffs,鈥 Tweddle said, 鈥淐anadian teams laying it on the line when they stepped onto the ice.鈥
For Round 3, which began Tuesday night, Rogers chose Bachman-Turner Overdrive鈥檚 鈥淵ou Ain鈥檛 Seen Nothing Yet鈥 for a new promo.
Triumph 鈥 which also featured guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett and bassist/keyboardist Mike Levine 鈥 became one of the most acclaimed hard-rock power trios of the 鈥70s and 鈥80s, winning Junos for Canadian group of the year four times and getting inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada鈥檚 Walk of Fame. The group officially broke up in 1993.
The commercial, Moore said, has led to renewed interest in Triumph. It also created a buzz among a new generation that used the Shazam app to discover the band behind of the song, which immediately rose to number one on Shazam鈥檚 Canadian charts and stayed there for three weeks.
Triumph’s Gil Moore, Rik Emmett and Mike Levine received the keys to City of Mississauga after they were inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in November 2019.
Chris Young/The Canadian PressMoore said part of the thrill of the promo is that he and his former bandmates are huge hockey fans. Levine听routinely wore hockey jerseys when Triumph played concerts in cities with NHL teams and even dressed in a Flames jersey at the Canadian Music Hall of Fame ceremony at the Calgary Saddledome in 2008.
Moore, who grew up playing minor-league hockey in the 海角社区官网Township Hockey League, said he dreamed of playing in the NHL.
鈥淎ll of a sudden I鈥檓 in the NHL 鈥 it鈥檚 just a little late,鈥 Moore said with a laugh. 鈥淚 just lived for hockey. That was it. Period. I played goal for literally two games and switched to left wing. My dad wasn鈥檛 pushing me, but I was that kid that wanted to be in the big leagues. I just didn鈥檛 have the talent.鈥
Instead, he traded his hockey sticks for drumsticks and focused on music. Moore is also the founder of Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, where many prominent national and international acts record, as well as Metalworks Institute, a post-secondary institution for students looking at careers in the entertainment industry.
For his part, Emmett recently published his third book, 鈥淭en Telecaster Tales: Liner Notes for a Guitar and Its Music.鈥
Joey Scoleri, a Live Nation executive and former Q107 radio personality known as Joey Vendetta, applauded Rogers鈥 decision to use 鈥淟ay It on the Line.鈥
鈥淚f you listen to the lyrics and see the visuals about the playoffs, it鈥檚 lay it on the line if you want to win the Stanley Cup,鈥 Scoleri said. 鈥淚t worked on that level. Triumph is on the side of good. Songs like 鈥淢agic Power,鈥 鈥淟ay It on the Line鈥 and 鈥淔ight the Good Fight鈥 are all about positivity, overcoming the struggle.鈥
From top: Mike Levine, Rik Emmett and Gil Moore during Triumph’s 1985 heyday.
Coincidentally, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister covered 鈥淟ay It on the Line鈥 for a new Triumph tribute album featuring such other prominent hard-rock musicians as Slash and Sebastian Bach. 鈥淢agic Power: All-Star Tribute to Triumph,鈥 produced by Mike Clink, who worked with Triumph on the 1986 album 鈥淭he Sport of Kings,鈥 is scheduled for release next month.
In addition, Moore and Paul Dexter, a production designer who helped mount hologram tours featuring Ronnie James Dio and Frank Zappa, have been working on a 3D multimedia Triumph experience, slated to start by early 2026 in North America, before possibly expanding internationally. It will feature Mississauga guitarist Phil X, who replaced Emmett for the 1992 album 鈥淓dge of Excess鈥 and later joined Bon Jovi, and two other musicians. Their performance will be accompanied by vintage footage of Moore, Emmett and Levine, a setup that Moore calls 鈥渢he world鈥檚 first six-piece power trio.鈥
鈥淭he most important thing in the show besides the musicians and conceptual aspect is the narrative,鈥 Moore said. 鈥淲e want people leaving the theatre feeling completely uplifted. We zeroed in on what the fans tell us. It鈥檚 about the songs 鈥 鈥淣ever Surrender鈥 and 鈥淔ollow Your Heart鈥 鈥 those sorts of concepts, thoughts of perseverance and positivity.鈥
Continuing on that positive note, Moore will be signing autographs Friday night at Classic Bowl in Mississauga as part of the McBowl concerts in support of Ronald McDonald House.
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