Where the phrase “elbows up” came from and why American baseball fans can expect to hear it during the World Series

As the Toronto Blue Jays bid to take the Commissioner’s Trophy back over the U.S.-Canada border for the first time this century, expect the phrase “elbows up” to be a regular rallying cry among the Ontario franchise’s fans.

The sole Canadian team in a baseball league otherwise populated by U.S. franchises, the Blue Jays face the defending MLB champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the World Series over the coming days.

The best-of-seven matchup, which kicks off on Friday, will be the Fall Classic’s first Canada vs U.S. clash since 1993, when the Blue Jays themselves won the second of their two MLB titles, beating the Philadelphia Phillies.

And 2025’s cross-border World Series comes in a year that has seen significant tensions develop between the two North American nations.

Trump kindles U.S.-Canada strife

Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the U.S. president’s aggressive policy of tariffs on imports from Canada have fueled a trade war that has led Ottawa to respond with counter-tariffs of its own.

What’s more, Trump has outraged Canadians with his repeated assertion that the U.S.’s neighbor should become the 51st American state. Before Justin Trudeau’s departure as Canadian prime minister in March, Trump more than once called the 53-year-old “Governor Trudeau”.

Earlier this month, when Trump mistakenly referred to Trudeau’s successor, Mark Carney, as Canada’s “president” during a speech, he could later be heard quipping to Carney: “At least I didn’t call you ‘governor’.”

Against this backdrop of heightened Canada-U.S. discord, “elbows up” has emerged as a popular clarion call among Canadians - a phrase that speaks to a national spirit of defiance against Trump’s antagonism.

Where did “elbows up” come from?

The term’s origins are traced back to Gordie Howe, a Canadian ice hockey legend whose physical approach to the game - which he played for a staggering 32 seasons - earned him the nickname “Mr. Elbows”.

Speaking to CBC, Howe biographer Roy MacSkimming recalled: “The elbows were an important weapon in his arsenal. He would just raise them up so fast to clip someone on the chin or in the gut or whichever part of the anatomy was handy.

“The phrase has just grown out of that legend, I think.”

Writing in USA Today, the MLB reporter Gabe Lacques added: “Originating from Howe’s habit of holding his elbows high in scrums for the puck in the corners of the rink, [’elbows up’] captures Canadians’ willingness to abandon their default setting of nonaggression when events warrant.”

The Canadian actor Mike Myers, best known for his starring role in the hit Austin Powers film franchise, is credited with inspiring the recent rise of the “elbows up” movement in Canada.

In two appearances on the U.S. sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live in March, Myers could be seen pointing to his elbows and mouthing “elbows up”. In one of the shows, he also sported a T-shirt bearing the Canadian flag, with the message: “Canada is not for sale”.

Myers later appeared in a video with Carney, under the slogan “Canada Strong”, in which the prime minister declared: “There will always be a Canada.”

Myers and Carney, who are both wearing the Canada national ice-hockey team’s jersey, also repeat the “elbows up” mantra, as the camera moves behind the actor to reveal he has “Never 51” written on the back of his shirt.

When is the 2025 World Series?

Having reached the World Series by beating the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday, October 24. The game at Rogers Centre is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

The series will run until Saturday, November 1 at the latest.

Full World Series schedule:

• Game 1, Oct. 24: Dodgers @ Blue Jays - 8:00 p.m. ET
• Game 2, Oct. 25: Dodgers @ Blue Jays - 8:00 p.m. ET
• Game 3, Oct. 27: Blue Jays @ Dodgers - 8:00 p.m. ET
• Game 4, Oct. 28: Blue Jays @ Dodgers - 8:00 p.m. ET
• Game 5, Oct. 29: Blue Jays @ Dodgers - 8:00 p.m. ET*
• Game 6, Oct. 31: Dodgers @ Blue Jays - 8:00 p.m. ET*
• Game 7, Nov. 1: Dodgers @ Blue Jays - 8:00 p.m. ET*

*If needed

How can I watch the 2025 World Series?

Viewers in the U.S. can watch the World Series on Fox and Fox Deportes. Your streaming options include fubo, which offers a free trial.

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