Elbows up: We will win, no matter the cost
Trevor Hutchinson is a writer, musician and not-for-profit executive. He lives in Lindsay with his wife and three of their children.
I popped in to see my parents the other day and was proud to see them displaying an ‘Elbows Up’ sign in their front window. The #elbowsup movement, like the #buyCanadian initiative, is now ubiquitous online representing an individual response to the insanity of President Trump’s, ummm, confusing tariffs.
It is not clear who first used the phrase in this context. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was certainly one of the first when he declared that Canada shouldn’t just be a punching bag and keep its elbows up. Retiring MP Charlie Angus was an early adopter of the phrase and was one of the first politicians of any stripe to speak in defiant terms on the tariff issue. Two successive Saturday Night Live appearances by Canadian filmmaker and comic Mike Myers, where he mouthed the words or pointed at his elbow, only helped the phrase go even more culturally viral.
Unlike many catchphrases and movements, I find myself liking the phrase more and more as the Trump insanity continues. One of my favourite elements of the phrase is that almost all non-Canadians don’t understand it. On various Reddit threads I see people from all around the world asking about the phrase’s meaning, due in large part to Myers and other Canadian celebrities using it. The phrase is like a secret code for us: a nudge and a wink that only we understand.
The reason it’s mostly secret is that the source code of the phrase is that of hockey (and not ice hockey, as five per cent of Americans might know it on a good day.) To the genteel among us, the phrase simply refers to a hockey technique that is defensive in nature: it is a method of protection that helps with puck control, shooting power and skating stability. Google the phrase and you’ll find countless YouTube videos of coaches of all levels running drills that teach this skill.
But for many of us, the phrase has a deeper hockey meaning. It brings to mind our Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. Not to be confused with that Mar-a-Lago-loving ‘The Great One.’ ™ (Unlike Mr. Hockey, Gretzky actually trademarked that phrase. Hubris much?)
Just as the legendary Gordie Howe hat-trick now refers to getting a goal, an assist and getting in a fight, likewise, elbows up can refer to elbowing an opponent. By Hockey Canada rules, elbowing is a penalty that is assessed when a player fouls another player with their elbow, usually in the head or throat. It can be a minor penalty for a light ‘how-ya-doing?’ elbow to an opponent’s head or it can be a major penalty or game misconduct in cases of injury.
So for some of us, the term has a violent connotation. It’s a way of saying that we will win, even if we have to break a rule or two. And I am here for it.
Elbows up!
