Friday: 3/14 - Pi day, Pi day, gotta get down it's Pi day ... It's also Friday.

Happy Friday Pi Day HJC!

It's been a bit of a different week here on HJC, different but good. We have now seen all the entries into the HJC Pairs competition (if you missed out on any of the 5 days of presentations, check them out on the HJC design blog). These were all well done. The highlight for me outside the design aspects was seeing collaboration in action. It was cool to see not just one designer, or two designers, but FOUR designers come together to collaborate and create a stadium series concept. Well done Mat and Justin (Halifax Raiders) and Matt and Dylan (Seattle Sea Lions), I commend you on your uber-collaborative concepts, you guys get the spirit of this competition (and this blog) in a big way.

From a design perspective I was blown away by Ryan and Tom's Seattle Stags portfolio. The design was solid, the presentation was sleek, and the sheer volume of pieces designed was very impressive.

There were so many good entries. I am really looking forward to voting on these entries, and seeing who comes out on top.

Speaking of voting, plenty of that going on here this week, and today is your last day to do it.

We have a fun top 5 vote on your favourite Winter Classic sweaters. I know this one isn't to crown a human winner from HJC, but I for one am really looking forward to seeing what other people think about these sweaters. be sure to email these votes in to the CONTEST email.

We also have our regular COTW vote, and our COTY - February monthly vote. Let your voice be heard, make sure you send in your votes today! If you don't no pie for you.

photo: wikipedia.com

COTY-February vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

COTW Mar 3-9 vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

Winter Classic jersey vote (ends Friday @ 11:59pm Eastern)

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Here are today's concepts: 

In honour of Pi Day, I will be rating each concept with a Pie chart, and categorizing each concept as a type of Pie.

St. Louis Blues - Dallas K.

I could be very happy if the Blues chose to wear a set like this. That white jersey is virtually flawless, but the blue jersey could use a white outline, or a thicker outline around the logo. One gripe, with this presentation style, I can tell that there are shoulder patches, but I can't really tell what they are, just some food for thought. I am going to call this one a Pecan Pie, because it is just the right amount of sweet.

just FYI, seeing red is good on these charts!

Ottawa Senators - Caleb F.

I really do like what is going on with the general look of this sweater. The mismatched sleeves are great, and the striping really works well on them. I really dislike the thin black hem, I think a black and a white stripe the same width as the arm stripes, to hint at the barber pole pattern would be a better option. TV numbers can't be seen, and should be white, it would be nice to see shoulder patches, and the Number on the back could be a tad bigger. I'm calling this one Strawberry Rhubarb, some nice things, but some sour things which detract from it as a whole.

Nashville Predators - Stephen T.

I wish the NHL would stop being dumb and allow teams to not have a white jersey. As long as the teams are wearing distinct colours I say let them wear whatever jersey they want. I want to see colour vs colour games! The blue jersey is solid, and we've seen that basic yellow sweater before, albeit with one less shoulder patch. One small error on the yellow sweater, the inside outline of the 6 should be white, it is bothering me to look at it right now. I think the Preds would look great wearing gold on the road, just like I think having an Apple- Bacon Pie is a great idea... although some norms might need to be adjusted for these things to happen.

Nashville Predators - Dallas K.

I like the general look of this sweater, very simple and subdued. I think something like this could work well as an alternate for the Preds, especially since it is using underused logos, and highlighting a different colour from their colour palate. One thing that is rubbing me the wrong way is the complicated logos on a very simplistic jersey, it works, but they aren't consistent with one another. Kind of like blueberry pie filling in an Oreo crumb crust.

Toronto Maple Leafs - Caleb F.

A solid jersey here from Caleb. It calls to mind the Leafs sweaters used from the 70s - 90s, but maintains a modern feel, and the current 2 stripe patter. I would like to see some equipment here, it does complete the uniform and give a better sense of the actual look on the ice. As my grandpa always says "Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze." You have served us up a classic, but left us hanging when it comes to the complete uniform.

Arizona Coyotes - Zack M.

Honestly, I am not a big fan of this one. There are a lot of logical inconsistencies, and some things which I don't like stylistically. The hem and arm striping is strange, the curved on the bottom, and straight on the top just looks weird to me. Also the white cuff on the sleeves just looks off, same with the sand coloured inside bottom hem is strange, it should just be red, the inside of the neck should also be coloured in properly (black in this case).The numbers and names are illegible, black on red doesn't work, and are really spaced strangely on the back. Also, there should be a Reebok wordmark on the back of the neck. Sorry for being so critical; don't let this discourage you. Learn from your mistakes and keep trying. You will get better. I categorize this as a Bumbleberry Crumble, a little disorganized and sloppy. 

Seattle Sounders - MLS - Phil B.

Despite this being a Sounders concept, I like it. Usually the Rave Green has me feeling nauseas, but it s balance well here with the blue. I really like how the curved stripes tie in to the curves of the logo, well done. I do think that the presentation would look cleaner if the watermank was a bit more subtle (maybe a grey scale version), as is it is a bit hard to see the jersey pop from the background. For the shade of green alone, this is a Key Lime pie.

Vancouver Canucks - Stephen T.

This is a really cool idea which combines a lot of eras of hockey in Vancouver. We have a Millionaires-esque colour scheme, with the 80's flying V, and Henrik Sedin on the back of the sweater. I think the combination of the flying V with the VANCOUVER lettering from the millionaires is a really neat idea. I think TV numbers would be a better choice than the Millionaires logo. Overall, I feel that these sweaters are a bit too dark, the vintage white and the black make it this way. A great combination, but a little bit too dark, like a burnt Peach Blueberry pie.

Boston Bruins - Michael G.

Love the elimination of black from the Bruins branding. This should happen. The only weak spots on these sweaters are the yokes. The current one the Bruins use should not be eliminated if they switch to brown and gold, but for these sweaters, I feel like yokes are not necessary. Nonetheless, these sweaters are delicious, like a Banana Cream Pie... they also look like one.

San Jose Earthquakes - MLS - Phil B.

First off, congrats on completing this MLS crossover series Phil. You dominated it like my Vancouver Whitecaps FC dominated your New York Red Bulls last Saturday. What a solid way to end the series too. The Earthquakes rebranded at the beginning of this season, and Phil does a good job of capturing the new branding. I really like the shockwave line on the shoulder yoke, and the red highlights, very tasteful. I would like to see that zig-zag blue and black pattern show up on the sweater in some way, but overall very well done. This is a solid concept you can sink your teeth into, like a Tourtiere, a traditional Quebecoise meat pie.

Well HJC, that's it for today, don't forget to check out the pairs competition entries, and send in your votes by tonight. As always, feel free to let your voice be heard in the comments below.  Thanks for reading, it's been a slice.