Canadians are rallying around Mike Myers’ 'elbows up' hockey metaphor
It’s probably not much of a surprise that many Canadians are trying to put the recent conflict between the U.S. and Canada into hockey terms.
And while the 4 Nations Face-Off games between the two countries and ongoing booing of national anthems have provided quite the backdrop to the trader war over the last few weeks, Canadians are now rallying around one of the country’s best-known celebrities.
Mike Myers hasn’t been in the public eye as much as he was in his heyday starring in movies like Austin Powers and Shrek, but he returned to prominence on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, where he made a cameo in a skit portraying Elon Musk.
Myers, who was a regular on the show from 1989 to 1995, made his first appearance on Saturday Night Live since 2015.
At the end of the night, Myers appeared alongside the cast, host Shane Gillis, and musical guest Tate McRae in a “Canada is Not For Sale” T-shirt. In the closing moments of the evening, Myers mouthed two very specific words to the camera: “elbows up.”
#ElbowsUp 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/8euIg2ItiE
— Cherry Red (@CherryRed82) March 4, 2025
The two words and accompanying gesture are a reference to Myers’ favourite sport, suggesting that Canadians keep their elbows up against the ongoing trade war, much like a player going into the puck battle might. It’s a similar vein to the classic “keep your head up,” or the old “keep your stick on the ice,” popularized by CBC comedy The Red Green Show.
#ElbowsUp #Canada pic.twitter.com/kOIUY78GBJ
— Les Williams (@leswilliams2) March 3, 2025
In the days since Myers’ appearance on the show, Canadians have taken the term as a bit of a rallying cry against the tariff war with their southern neighbours.
The hashtag #ElbowsUp has been trending on social media this week.
Never piss off a Canadian… just saying. #ElbowsUp pic.twitter.com/XGsMx5kWWy
— Jill Davis (@Jdavis_Halton) March 3, 2025
Myers’ love for hockey has never been one that he’s shied away from, perhaps best exemplified in the 2008 film The Love Guru, which centres around a guru trying to reverse the fortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs, his favourite NHL team.
We don’t quite know when we’ll hear from Myers again, but with Shrek 5 slated for release next year, we can be sure there will be a few more opportunities for him to plug his loyalty to his homeland on the world stage.