I'm 40, lived in Canada my whole life, never played hockey, don't like the hip (they are nothing compared to Rush, nothing), didn't know what "elbows up" even meant until I looked it up
This whole post is so coded to people over the age of 60, even the inclusion of poor aged Mike Myers
Thanks for this. You're absolutely right. We do have an unspoken code. You have become a national hero, my friend. Bask in it and keep doing what you're doing. If only you'd become the NDP leader (with no disrespect to Jagmeet).
My son, Joey, tells me that your son-in-law, Alex, played on the under-11 house league team I coached in 2000. I remember him because he was a little guy that made up for his size by his grit. We won the championship that year, Charlie, and we'll beast the crap out of Trump and his pal Poilievre.
I have been watching you on Meidas Touch - thrilled to see you have a substack. Subscribed. You are a true Canadian hero Charlie. Keep fighting for us. We're all in - with our Elbows Up!
Ha! I remember the hockey game in '72 like it was yesterday. I was in grade 7. We didn't get to watch the whole thing at school because we had a math test. We could hear the cheering from other classrooms. After the test, our teacher brought out a tv so we could see the last incredible period. I'd forgotten about "elbows up" until Charlie reminded us all. I'm passing it around to my friends like a secret code. We are proud Canadians and we won't back down to a bully. He will not win.
I have to be honest that I did not know what the expression "Elbows up" meant when I heard it before, but you're so right Charlie it does capture who and what we are and how we will deal with this insane president's attempts to cow us. We won't be intimidated, browbeaten, bullied, or bulldozed. We may be a smaller nation but we are mighty in character and heart.
A caveat to that because I live in Alberta is that maybe our premier Smith needs a lesson on what it means to have a moral compass. We all need to stand together and when one of us is hurt the rest of us go elbows up. She does not seem to understand or care that Trump as a malignant narcissist will not leave Alberta out of his actions to cow this country just because she sidled up to him at Mar-a-Lago and thought she would make him a friend. Not going to happen Danielle so get those elbows up along with every other leader in Canada!
Your premier needs to learn, very quickly, that to Donald Trump, friendship is a one-way street. Unless you're Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un -- or Elon Musk -- he wants you to be a friend to HIM with no obligation for him to be a friend to YOU. Next to Trump, Benedict Arnold was a paragon of loyalty.
She's like a lot of people who don't know much about malignant narcissists. She thinks if anyone can win him over it's her because she's likely an N herself - special, able to charm him, doesn't really care about anyone or anything except power, money, control, etc. You'd think his track record would smarten her and others up but nope.
When he got in in 2016 I and so many others who knew about malignant narcissism were taking to Twitter and other platforms to try and warn people how dangerous N's can be. If you haven't experienced their brand of behaviour though it can take a while to figure it out. Now I think it's too late for you in the US (and I'm so very sorry to say that), but I hope we have time here in Alberta and Canada.
Thanks, Charlie, for the great article, and for all you do. There is now a new most intense hockey showdown in Canada's history, with broader implications than 1972. Elbows up, Canada.
Trumputin's end game is to get Americans angry enough to protest in large numbers. Then he'll send in proud boys to start fires, shoot a police officer, etc. Then he'll call Matshal Law, which will never end. No more elections, no large gatherings, which means the end of sports game, Nascar, etc. He drove and waved to the audience good bye. This is where I believe the US is.
So literally 3 hours before the tariffs took effect, Air Miles, Shell Canada and BMO emailed out info to rewards members about a promotional contest for a trip to Kentucky complete with money to eat and shop. Seriously. Hard to imagine anything more insulting and tone deaf. I know where I WON’T be buying gas…
Thank you for this post. As an ex-pat Canadian who has been trying to explain "elbows up" to my colleagues this is very helpful. My parents grew up in Saskatchewan and Gordie Howe was an icon of my childhood. My father was a passionate hockey player, he grew up playing on the sloughs of the prairies and went on to play for the Royal Canadian Navy when he enlisted. Hockey was a core part of my life, even though I never played myself and moving to NJ it shocked me how little it mattered to most. Another hockey phrase that I have used that has no recognition among Americans is "deke" ... we do have our own code and so much of it is hockey-related.
I'm 40, lived in Canada my whole life, never played hockey, don't like the hip (they are nothing compared to Rush, nothing), didn't know what "elbows up" even meant until I looked it up
This whole post is so coded to people over the age of 60, even the inclusion of poor aged Mike Myers
Hi Charlie
Thanks for this. You're absolutely right. We do have an unspoken code. You have become a national hero, my friend. Bask in it and keep doing what you're doing. If only you'd become the NDP leader (with no disrespect to Jagmeet).
My son, Joey, tells me that your son-in-law, Alex, played on the under-11 house league team I coached in 2000. I remember him because he was a little guy that made up for his size by his grit. We won the championship that year, Charlie, and we'll beast the crap out of Trump and his pal Poilievre.
Jeff
I have been watching you on Meidas Touch - thrilled to see you have a substack. Subscribed. You are a true Canadian hero Charlie. Keep fighting for us. We're all in - with our Elbows Up!
Thank you, Charlie. I'm getting ready to subscribe.
Just a big warning to everyone. There are a whole bunch of FAKE WEBSITES SELLING ELBOWS UP CLOTHING!!
One of them is called WHITEWEBY. It shows a BC address and phone number but it is fake.
My order shipped from ITHICA NEW YORK. The PayPal address for the seller is apparently Chinese!
I have since found several others and their websites are infected and you are at risk for viruses and malware!!
Sigh.... There are miscreants everywhere, trying to profit off everything. But it's possible to find legit Canadian vendors on Etsy, just FYI.
Ha! I remember the hockey game in '72 like it was yesterday. I was in grade 7. We didn't get to watch the whole thing at school because we had a math test. We could hear the cheering from other classrooms. After the test, our teacher brought out a tv so we could see the last incredible period. I'd forgotten about "elbows up" until Charlie reminded us all. I'm passing it around to my friends like a secret code. We are proud Canadians and we won't back down to a bully. He will not win.
I have to be honest that I did not know what the expression "Elbows up" meant when I heard it before, but you're so right Charlie it does capture who and what we are and how we will deal with this insane president's attempts to cow us. We won't be intimidated, browbeaten, bullied, or bulldozed. We may be a smaller nation but we are mighty in character and heart.
A caveat to that because I live in Alberta is that maybe our premier Smith needs a lesson on what it means to have a moral compass. We all need to stand together and when one of us is hurt the rest of us go elbows up. She does not seem to understand or care that Trump as a malignant narcissist will not leave Alberta out of his actions to cow this country just because she sidled up to him at Mar-a-Lago and thought she would make him a friend. Not going to happen Danielle so get those elbows up along with every other leader in Canada!
Your premier needs to learn, very quickly, that to Donald Trump, friendship is a one-way street. Unless you're Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong Un -- or Elon Musk -- he wants you to be a friend to HIM with no obligation for him to be a friend to YOU. Next to Trump, Benedict Arnold was a paragon of loyalty.
She's like a lot of people who don't know much about malignant narcissists. She thinks if anyone can win him over it's her because she's likely an N herself - special, able to charm him, doesn't really care about anyone or anything except power, money, control, etc. You'd think his track record would smarten her and others up but nope.
When he got in in 2016 I and so many others who knew about malignant narcissism were taking to Twitter and other platforms to try and warn people how dangerous N's can be. If you haven't experienced their brand of behaviour though it can take a while to figure it out. Now I think it's too late for you in the US (and I'm so very sorry to say that), but I hope we have time here in Alberta and Canada.
Thanks, Charlie, for the great article, and for all you do. There is now a new most intense hockey showdown in Canada's history, with broader implications than 1972. Elbows up, Canada.
Unions Must Prepare to Occupy Plants Shut Down in Trade War
https://palecek.substack.com/p/unions-must-prepare-to-occupy-plants
Trumputin's end game is to get Americans angry enough to protest in large numbers. Then he'll send in proud boys to start fires, shoot a police officer, etc. Then he'll call Matshal Law, which will never end. No more elections, no large gatherings, which means the end of sports game, Nascar, etc. He drove and waved to the audience good bye. This is where I believe the US is.
I think that's the plan exactly. I see the chance of a midterm election as less than 50/50.
🔥 CANADA WON’T BACK DOWN – THE PUPPET SHOW EXPOSED 🔥
🚨 Canada is under attack—but not how they tell you.
This isn’t Trudeau vs. Poilievre. It’s the rich vs. the rest of us.
Let’s EXPOSE the lies, CONNECT the dots, and FIGHT BACK.
🔎 WHO REALLY WORKS FOR WHO?
🇺🇸 Trump – Waging an economic war on Canada to benefit U.S. billionaires.
🇨🇦 Poilievre – Pretends to fight elites but funded by the same corporate billionaires as Trudeau.
🇨🇦 Ford – Acts like a fighter, but privatizing Canada just like Trump wanted.
🇨🇦 Trudeau – Claims to "help Canadians" but lets monopolies gouge us.
🇨🇦 Carney – The "expert" waiting in the wings, but he’s a Goldman Sachs banker tied to global finance.
🇨🇦 Singh – Pushing for action against Trump, but too soft on holding Trudeau accountable.
🌎 Big Business & Elites – Fund BOTH Liberals & Conservatives, ensuring nothing changes.
💡 SMOKE & MIRRORS ALERT
🔴 Poilievre screams about “elites” but is backed by billionaire donors.
🔵 Trudeau talks progressive but protects corporate monopolies.
⚫ Ford is suddenly “fighting Trump” after years of adopting his policies.
🟡 Carney is being sold as a “fix” while coming from the same corrupt system.
💰 Who wins? Billionaires.
🚨 Who loses? YOU.
🔥 THE DISTRACTIONS THEY USE TO KEEP US DIVIDED 🔥
🚨 What They Want You to Believe:
👉 Poilievre: "Trudeau is destroying Canada!"
👉 Trudeau: "Poilievre is dangerous!"
👉 Ford: "I’m fighting for Canadians!"
👉 Carney: "Trust me, I fixed the UK!"
🔎 What They DON’T Want You to See:
❌ Trudeau & Poilievre BOTH allow monopolies to rob us blind.
❌ Carney serves bankers, not workers.
❌ Ford copies Trump’s playbook while pretending to fight him.
❌ Poilievre blames immigrants for inflation instead of corporate greed.
❌ Trudeau COULD have fixed monopolies years ago—but didn’t.
❌ The media keeps us fighting culture wars while the rich loot the country.
💡 Reality Check: We are ALL being sold out.
🔥 WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW – THE PUPPET SHOW CONTINUES
🚨 Trump slaps Canada with new tariffs – hurting workers & driving up prices.
🚨 Ford suddenly fights back – but has been privatizing & weakening Ontario for years.
🚨 Poilievre stays silent – because he won’t go against his billionaire backers.
🚨 Trudeau calls the tariffs “dumb” – but refuses to actually challenge corporate power.
It’s all a game. And WE are the ones paying the price.
🔥 SO WHAT CAN WE DO? 🇨🇦💪
🛑 EXPOSE THE LIES
✔ Stop falling for fake populists like Poilievre.
✔ Hold Trudeau accountable instead of settling for “lesser evil” politics.
✔ Call out corporate media manipulation.
💰 TARGET CORPORATE GREED
✔ Tax billionaires.
✔ Enforce rent controls & stop corporate landlords.
✔ Break up monopolies in grocery, banking, & telecom.
🛡️ PROTECT CANADA'S SOVEREIGNTY
✔ Cut reliance on U.S. corporations (Starlink, defense contractors).
✔ Demand military funding to defend ourselves.
✔ Punish U.S. companies profiting off Canada’s economic suffering.
📢 ORGANIZE LOCALLY
✔ Voting alone won’t fix this—we need real movements.
✔ Support independent voices & alternative media.
✔ Educate others—once people see the scam, they stop playing the game.
🚨 TL;DR – CANADA’S ECONOMY IS BEING SOLD OFF 🚨
💡 It’s NOT just about Trudeau vs. Poilievre.
💡 It’s NOT just about left vs. right.
💡 It’s about the rich vs. the rest of us.
🔥 If we don’t fight back, we lose our economy, our rights, and our future.
📢 SHARE THIS POST. WAKE PEOPLE UP.
🛑 Support the Resistance!
🇨🇦 Get pro-Canada resistance gear here at my Redbubble Shop:
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/168992680?utm_source=rb-native-app&utm_campaign=share-work&utm_medium=android
What do YOU think? What’s Canada’s next move? Let’s talk. 👇🇨🇦🔥
#cdnpoli #Canada #TradeWar #Poilievre #Trudeau #MarkCarney #WealthTax #Resist #CanPoli #FightForCanada
So literally 3 hours before the tariffs took effect, Air Miles, Shell Canada and BMO emailed out info to rewards members about a promotional contest for a trip to Kentucky complete with money to eat and shop. Seriously. Hard to imagine anything more insulting and tone deaf. I know where I WON’T be buying gas…
https://www.airmiles.ca/en/promotions/shell/homepage.html
Thank you for this post. As an ex-pat Canadian who has been trying to explain "elbows up" to my colleagues this is very helpful. My parents grew up in Saskatchewan and Gordie Howe was an icon of my childhood. My father was a passionate hockey player, he grew up playing on the sloughs of the prairies and went on to play for the Royal Canadian Navy when he enlisted. Hockey was a core part of my life, even though I never played myself and moving to NJ it shocked me how little it mattered to most. Another hockey phrase that I have used that has no recognition among Americans is "deke" ... we do have our own code and so much of it is hockey-related.
Thank you, Charlie. You, as well, are a Canadian treasure.
Again, Charlie Angus, thank you for your defence of Canada. This Canadian is proud of you
Concerned about arms being brought into Canada now unchecked at the border.