'Elbows up!' - the hockey tactic inspiring Canada's anti-Trump fight

A legendary Canadian ice hockey player renowned for his aggressive play has inspired the country's emerging rallying cry of "Elbows up!" in its battle against US President Donald Trump.

Throwing an elbow -- in your opponent's face or ribs -- is hardly rare in hockey, but the move is closely associated Gordie Howe, one of the sport's greatest ever players.

Howe, known to many as "Mr Hockey," was notorious for using his elbows to ward off opponents when battling for the puck.

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"We're a country that will be diplomatic when we can -- but fight when we must: 'Elbows up!'" outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said to a cheering crowd of Liberal Party supporters in his farewell address in Ottawa on Sunday.

Rising to their feet, the crowd chanted "elbows up" in response.

The catchphrase had been gaining traction online and was propelled to a new level this weekend when Toronto-born comedian Mike Myers mouthed it during the closing credits of US show Saturday Night Live.

Trudeau warned in his speech that Canada faced "an existential challenge" from Trump, who has repeatedly spoken about annexing the country and initiated trade tariffs that could devastate the Canadian economy.

A statue honoring Howe in his hometown of Floral, in the province of Saskatchewan, shows him on skates, holding a stick, with his left elbow pointed straight up.

"If a guy slashed me, I'd grab his stick, pull him up alongside me and elbow him in the head," Howe, who died in 2016, once said.

Any country facing annexation from the world's largest military power might want to be armed with more than pointed elbows, but in Canada hockey references can be unifying.

The premier of British Columbia David Eby, whose government has banned the sale of alcohol from US "red states" that support Trump, offered an explanation for the phrase.

"'Elbows up' means the other team is trying to take advantage, and if they come at you, they're going to feel it," he said.

Sunday's Liberal Party meeting in Ottawa named former central banker Mark Carney as Trudeau's successor. A transition is expected in the coming days.

Earlier Sunday, a crowd of about 1,000 anti-Trump protesters met on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and chanted "Elbows Up, Canada!"