usatoday.com
Canadians are using 'elbows up' to hit back at US tariffs. Here's what it means
8–10 minutes
[LI]Canadians are using the phrase "Elbows up" to encourage each other to stand up to the United States.[/LI]
[LI]The phrase originates from hockey legend Gordie Howe, known for his toughness and use of elbows on the ice.[/LI]
Tariffs on Canadian exports and repeated insults by President
Donald Trump (unknown) about Canada becoming the 51st state have Canadians pushing back with a term hockey fans may be familiar with.
"
Elbows up (unknown)" is appearing
across social media platforms (reddit.com) and in
protests (cbc.ca), encouraging Canadians to stand up and fight back, creating a sense of nationalism for one of the country's closest neighbors.
Canadian celebrities are also pushing back including comedian Mike Myers,
as he returned to "Saturday Night Live," (unknown) impersonating Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk as Dr Evil from the Austin Powers franchise.
Sporting a "Canada is not for sale" T-shirt, he pointed to his elbows and mouthed the phrase as the end credits flashed across the screen.
Canadian phrase comes from Detroit hockey player
The phrase is linked to Gordie Howe, a longtime
Detroit Red Wings (freep.com) player who was born in Saskatchewan, a province in western Canada.
Howe, who is synonymous with the Red Wings, was known for his toughness, among other things. He used his elbows to defend himself when opposing players crowded him.
Mr. Hockey played for Detroit from 1946 to 1971 and led the Red Wings to Stanley Cup championships in 1950, 1952, 1954 and 1955.
Kirk Maltby, a former player and also a team scout, said this about Howe
in a 2016 article in the Detroit Free Press (unknown), part of the USA TODAY Network: "You'd want to be within an ear's length so you could hear him, but at the same time, you didn't want to be right next to him because he'd get his fists and his elbows up. He'd get so animated."
What Canadians are saying
It's the Canadians who are getting animated now.
Canadians
who spoke with the Free Press (unknown) expressed mixed emotions when asked about future relationships with the U.S.
“It feels like a betrayal,” said Ainslee Winter, as she and Jessica Filippakis pushed strollers, each with a child in tow, inside Devonshire Mall in Windsor, Ontario.
Winter said she expects things to get worse before they get better, but she hopes “it makes people realize they need each other.”
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
USA TODAY NETWORK can be reached at lvillagran@usatoday.com.