‘Elbows up!’: Canadian leaders, celebrities turn tough on tariff tensions

Canada has long held a reputation for settling its differences on the ice, and as the country settles in for a trade war with the United States that may be here to stay, some Canadians are turning to hockey for inspiration.

“Elbows up!” has become a war cry of the Canadian resistance to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs and has found its way to T-shirts and social media feeds alike.

Last weekend, Canadian comedian Mike Myers was seen mouthing the words on stage during the closing credits of Saturday Night Live, wearing a Canadian flag shirt also adorned with another trade-war slogan, “Canada is not for sale.”

“Elbows up!” he appears to say, thrusting his elbow upward in a statement that Canadian leaders have begun to adopt as well.

But what does the phrase mean, and what does it have to do with hockey? Here’s what you need to know:

Enforcer 101

For a country that prides itself on peacekeeping, you could be forgiven for wondering why Canada’s most iconic national pastime features bareknuckle boxing as a semi-legitimate in-game strategy.

Fighting on the ice has long been a tradition in hockey, and in the professional sports world, some major hockey leagues maintain a comparatively lax policy on in-game violence. Players caught fighting may be sent to the penalty box for five minutes, but unlike in other sports, a game coming to blows doesn’t usually make national news.

Often called “enforcers” or “goons,” some players have historically been prized by teams specifically for their reputation as fighters, and the intimidating presence that comes with it.

If tensions are high on the ice, or worse, if a player drops their gloves, you’d be well-advised to get your elbows up and prepare to fight back, because you’re not playing the same kind of game, anymore.

Dropping the gloves

Since his U.S. election win last fall, Trump has made Canada a frequent target for vitriol, from false claims that the United States subsidizes the country, to the aforementioned tariffs, to threatening to annex Canada as the “51st state.”

By the time of the 4 Nations Face Off hockey tournament last month, animosity between the two countries had reached its highest point in recent memory, and as the round-robin match between Team Canada and Team USA began, it wouldn’t be long before things boiled over.

In the first nine seconds of play, three separate fights broke out on the ice in a stunning display of the two countries' strained relationship. After losing that early game, Canada would go on to defeat the United States in the tournament final.

Since then, tensions have only worsened, and “elbows up” has become Canada’s latest rallying cry in its defence against U.S. aggression on trade.

Here’s a sampling:

With files from CTV News’ Jesse Thomas, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press