09-09-2019, 03:25 PM(This post was last modified: 09-09-2019, 03:25 PM by esilverm.)
What is a Scarecrow noise?
I have been on the Scarecrows for 3 7/25th seasons attempting to find the answer to this question. In this problem we have a few givens, for instance the sound is being produced by a scarecrow. However, this is just one answer in a sea of questions. During my time on the Scarecrows, I have explored the questions and possibilities of what the scarecrow noise is, and the lore surrounding it. For you to fully understand the conclusion, I would like to start at day one.
March 14, 2019. Switzerland.
A young two-way forward joins the league right before the trade deadline with high hopes for what is to come in his career. This man’s name? Nicolaj Muller. There is a lot of doubt and speculation on his future and potential performance. Almost immediately a representative (not a GM) of the Colorado Raptors reaches out to him to welcome him to the site and let him know of opportunities on his team. However, Nicolaj couldn’t do anything since he was not even approved to play by the HO yet. The next day Nicolaj received messages from most of the teams, each one providing specifics on where he’d fit in and how their future shapes up. One in particular stuck out to him. “Hello from STL” from gm @Nictox When he read this message he knew that he had to go to the St Louis Scarecrows. (In reality he spent a decent amount of time searching for what he was looking for in a team but decided that the very recently successful St Louis Scarecrows would be the best home for him.
S46. Rookie Season. St Louis
Stepping onto the ice for the first time in the SMJHL was a rush for Nicolaj and it only took him 4 games to get 2 goals in his rookie season. By the end of the season he had 4 goals and helped his fellow rookie linemate Noah Gallagher @fever95 get his first point in the J by scoring on one of his passes. During the time on the team he met a whole bunch of new faces. Captain Slip McScruff @Scrufdaddy and Alternates Gordie Boomhover @gordieboom and Michael Fox @FuzzSHL helped him feel at home on his new team. He also caught up with rookies Charlie Serpe @”Serpe x 13”, Boris Poroshenko @The__Y-man__100, Filip Zadina @jjlangabeer, and a few others who weren’t so active by the time he joined. The end of the season had the Scarecrows at 2nd place in the overall standings with 6 less points than the Laurifer winning Kelowna Knights.
S46 Playoffs. St Louis
This season wasn’t the Scarecrow’s first go at a 4 Star Cup. In fact, the 2 seasons before Nicolaj joined had the Scarecrows as winners. Obviously going for the coveted “Three-peat” the Scarecrows had a very steep hill to climb. In their first matchup, they beat the Halifax Raiders 4-2. Their second matchup had them move past the Anchorage Armada in another 4-2 series. However, they finally made it to the series against the Laurifer-winning Knights. The first two games were pure embarrassment. The first game was a 4-0 shutout and the second was another tough loss with the Scarecrows making 35 shots but losing 3-1. Something had to change for the Scarecrows if they wanted to win the cup this season. The night before the game Nicolaj had a dream about a scarecrow losing both of its arms but eventually overpowering a Knight in battle by screaming, “SCARECROW NOISES” a whole bunch of times. When the time came for the next game, Nicolaj knew what he had to do. As soon as he jumped out on the ice, he wouldn’t shut up about SCARECROW NOISES. This move threw the Knights off their rhythm and led to two straight 4-3 wins against the knights at home. Just like that, the series was tied! The Knights decided it was enough and made their own chant, “CHIVALROUS NOISES” which lead to a crushing 4-1 loss for the Scarecrows. Nicolaj convinced the entire team to spread the chant and use it as much as possible so they could finally get some luck and they won the next game 3-2. Game 7 came, and it was honestly a site to see. After the first two periods the teams were tied at 2-2. almost immediately after each goal, the Knights had the answer to the push made by the Scarecrows. In the third period the tide changed. 3 minutes in Tyler Tougard scored and then 3 minutes later Gordie Boomhover put in an absolute bomb. The Scarecrows were finally up by two and it looked like they were on a roll. But just 16 seconds after Gordie’s goal Nathan Explosion potted a clapper. With thirty-seven seconds left in the period, the Knights pulled their goaltender, but it wasn’t enough, and the Scarecrows won the 4 Star Cup for the third time in a row! There were many Scarecrow Noises that day.
S47 SHL Draft. Hamilton
The days leading up to the draft were full of parties and celebration, however Nicolaj didn’t really rank well in the SHL draft due to his FA status and only having 233 TPE which was very mediocre considering the very strong pool of draftees. Very few teams showed actual interest, possibly due to his agent’s dicey past of leaving after his second season. He would have to prove to teams that he was worth their pick. Only one or two teams seemed to have real big interest in him, one of which was Buffalo who seemed to want to invest in players who could end up being sleepers. Nicolaj’s inbox was relatively quiet for the time leading up though so he knew his position would be somewhat of a surprise. Finally, the draft came. A majority of his St Louis teammates went in the first round (Filip Zadina – 4, Charlie Serpe – 10, Noah Gallagher – 12) but Nicolaj was waiting on the second round. Pick 17, 18, 19, 20, and 21 came and went. At pick 22 the Buffalo GMs walked up and announced that they would be taking Swiss LW Nicolaj Muller with their pick. The Buffalo Stampede had just won the Challenge Cup the season before against the New Orleans Specters and had a stacked group of players and prospects that were excited to play with Nicolaj in the future, but the cost of being on such a stacked team was the fact that he would be down in the Juniors for 3 more seasons. So if he was going to stay down Nicolaj decided he should pick up some hardware along the way.
S47 Regular Season. St Louis
This season the Scarecrows brought in a couple new faces: Mika Kandinsky @Mika_Kandinsky, Lyle Odelein III @Huck24, Barrett Blackwood @MrStennett, and Izem Aboye @eddiesnothere. Each of these rookies learned of Scarecrows Noises and their role on the team for the future. Nicolaj moved up to the third line playing with the same guys as last season but it wouldn’t be for long. 7 games in, the Scarcrows traded away 1st line center Taisei-Tiikeri Wawazat to the Halifax Raiders for their third line center Gaspard Boone @Im_A_Boonana and picks, and that was when the season went from good to great. Boone was put on the third line with Nicolaj and almost immediately the team went on a god-like run with 22 wins in 26 games. Arguably one of the strongest lines on the team at that point was the third line which saw their points totals rise to insane levels despite only getting 13 minutes per game. Nicolaj had 24 points by the halfway of the season and looked like he was not stopping anytime soon. His line was putting up unprecedented numbers and was arguably one of the best in the league that season. Nicolaj ended up with 41 points with just under 13 minutes of ice time per game and his line mates put up similar numbers with Gaspard Boone putting up 35 and Noah Gallagher putting up 30. Along with that, the Scarecrows were the best team in the regular season and won the Laurifer trophy.
S47 Playoffs. St Louis
In the playoffs the Scarecrows faced the Falcons first after they swept the raiders in their series. The Crows moved past the falcons really easily with a 4-2 series win. Next the Scarecrows had to face the Anaheim Outlaws. Unfortunately, after winning the first two they lost the next three and eventually got eliminated in the 7th game. Nicolaj severely underperformed in these playoffs, only scoring 3 points in his 13 games on the ice. This season he learned that the scarecrows noises don’t always bring the best luck to the team.
S47 SMJHL Awards. Detroit
In a turn of events in the offseason, it was announced that Nicolaj was nominated for 3 SMJHL Awards: the Vyacheslav Onoprienko Award for most underrated, the Ron Bolt Award for most Disciplined, and the coveted Ideen Fallah Award which is given to the most valuable player during the regular season. First the announcement for the Ideen Fallah came. It was announced that the award went to Matt Kholin from Halifax. This wasn’t too disappointing because it was already an honor for Nicolaj to be nominated as a third line player. Next the Ron Bolt award came. This award once again went to Matt Kholin. Finally the Vyacheslav Onoprienko award announcement came. The announcer read off the names. “The award goes to... Haley Knight… Julio Tokolosh… and Nicolaj Muller!” Somehow all the nominees won the award. What a weird turn of events. It was honestly still an honor for Nicolaj to even receive this award, despite his nomination being a bit weird since he had been nominated for 2 other awards that night.
S48 SMJHL Season. St Louis
After an eventful SHL draft and SMJHL draft. The scarecrows found themselves with some top prospects. Noah Brusky @”BrewskyBoy” was one of which with a bright future ahead of him. This change in seasons led to many of Nicolaj’s fellow prospects to be called up. In fact, at this point he was the longest tenured active skater on the team. He got moved to the first line after an explosive season on the third line. His linemates included Nicholas Fleming and S47 SMJHL draftee Mika Kandinsky who had just been drafted to the Toronto North Stars. On top of that he was named the Captain of the team. Mika Kandinsky and Lyle Odelein III found themselves wearing the A. With a lot more pressure on his performance Nicolaj only expected a record-breaking season and record-breaking season it was. After 50 games Nicolaj found himself at the top the standings of player production with 61 points. This was enough to beat the Scarecrows record of 58 points in one season. In addition to that Mika Kandinsky got 59 points and also beat the record plus another set by Logan “money” Jensen for highest +/- in a season with +29. This was probably one of the most historic regular seasons in Scarecrows history in terms of production by a single line. Once again the Scarecrows found themselves with another chance to claim the 4 Star Cup after a disappointing loss to Anaheim last season.
S48 SMJHL Playoffs. St Louis
In the first round the Scarecrows played the Halifax Raiders. Unfortunately, this playoff series would be cut short with 4 straight losses after a win in the first game. The series was actually closer than it seemed with the Scarecrows actually scoring 1 more goal than the Halifax in the entire series. With this quick exit Nicolaj found himself being sent up to the SHL to be an extra forward for his SHL team, the Buffalo Stampede.
S48 SHL Playoffs. Buffalo
Nicolaj landed in Buffalo at the end of the series against the Barracuda. The series was tied 3-3 but Buffalo shut out the top seed in the playoffs in a 6-0 game. Next they faced a defending Champ: The West Kendall Platoon. They platoon put up a good first game but went down after 4 straight losses to the Stampede. Finally, the Buffalo Stampede found themselves in the finals facing the Winnipeg Jets. The first two games saw the Stampede going down with 2 losses. Things looked sucky for the Stampede and they were struggling on the special teams. However, the GMs reassured the players there was a 62% chance of winning in regulation. So, the battle cry for a struggling Buffalo Stampede became 62%. That was when the series turned around. The Stampede won 3 straight and managed to clinch the cup with 2 games in hand. Game 6 started out with Viktor Marius scoring a short-handed goal at 2 minutes in. Then the second period had the Stampede putting up 2 goals from Hippo Passamus and Viktor Marius. Then the Jets struck back with a goal from Commander Shepard. Then the third period came, and Nick Brain scored a goal at 7:08 in the period. The clock ticked down and they just needed to hold off the Jets for a few more minutes. The clock buzzed and the Buffalo Players left the bench to go tackle Cedric Robinson, the successful Cedric in a battle of Cedrics. Nicolaj only got to skate 6 minutes in the playoffs but he managed to get his name on the cup. In only 3 seasons Nicolaj got to have a 4 Star Cup and a Challenge Cup to his name.
S48 SMJHL Awards. Kelowna
This season Nicolaj found himself on a lot more ballots than last. He won the Jarod Hanson Award for the most points and was nominated for the Zach Miller trophy for most dedicated, Ideen Fallah and Raymond Lindsay (both MVP trophies) after his historic season. No matter what happened Nicolaj would walk away with some kind of hardware for his season. The announcer got to the Zach Miller trophy. To his surprise, he was awarded this trophy for his work on streamlining the updating process. Next the Ideen Fallah was announced. After not receiving it this season he didn’t know if it would go to him. Once again, to his surprise the award went to him. Finally, the Lindsay was announced. Unfortunately, he didn’t receive this one, but it went to a goalie from Vancouver who put up historic numbers.
S49 SMJHL Season. St Louis
Yet again, a new batch of rookies joined the team. Yamamoto Mitsuharu @TML99, James Ronlain @Rankle, Aron Hernadivic @jfisherr, Sasha Dangelchek @acdangel, Flash Gordon @twerkin4jesus, and Shiqa Vitalievich @NylarthePhoenix all found their place on the team along with a couple of others. Yet again it was Nicolaj’s job to lead the team. Over the offseason the Crows lost a capped goalie and needed some help in the net. That is where Vitalievich came into play. But this season was probably one of the most disappointing in Nicolaj’s career. Despite leading the points standings with 56 points for the 2nd season in a row and the points standings for LW for the 3rd season in a row, the Scarecrows ended up with a lousy season ending up at 8th in the standings. He really wanted to lead all the new rookies to the success that the team had in previous season, but this was a down season for the Crows and there was a severe lack of scarecrow noises.
S49 SMJHL Playoffs. St Louis
This season the Crows were in the wildcard spot for the Playoffs and were playing the Anaheim Outlaws. After seven games they squeaked out with a series win. The second round found the Crows playing against the Knights. Unfortunately, after going back to back in games they lost the series 4-2. There were many sad scarecrow noises.
This leads us to now. After 4 seasons down in the SMJHL Nicolaj has made a name for himself after being one of the league’s elite scoring left wingers. And now as I clumsily transition to first person there is so much, I have to say about my time down in the SMJHL.
Rejoining the league has done a lot for me. I have made so many new friends and honestly it will suck having to play against them in the big leagues.
To Mika and Huck: It was honestly an immense pleasure to have been able to lead this team with you guys. I know we never were able to win a cup together, but hopefully we will be able to do it in the future either with these players or with new ones. You guys are bound to be leaders on your teams and will be some of the best picks they have made.
To Nictox and TML: You convinced me to join this team and it was one of the best choices I have made on this site. I hope the scarecrow noises continue and lead the team to numerous cups.
To those who I played with on the Scarecrows previously: look out.
To those who are still on the Scarecrows: ur all gods and this season was just a blip. Keep on working at your builds and you will be insanely good. probably better than I’ll ever be.
You may be wondering why I haven’t finished what I came here to do. Which was explain the meaning of SCARECROW NOISES. It isn’t too complicated really. It is the friends we made along the way. lol
am proud of u for following in the footsteps of scarecrow legends past (me, tdz, ace, trella) in posting a sentimental goodbye st louis post
u a real one evan
ty to @High Stick King @EvilAllBran and @Ragnar for the sigs