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Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one today. I enjoy team nicknames, and another category forces you to think hard about what’s on your team cap or jersey. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Ouch!
Green group hint: Minnesota Fats.
Blue group hint: Slang for hockey teams.
Purple group hint: Look closely at your baseball cap.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Common sports injuries.
Green group: Billiards equipment.
Blue group: NHL teams, familiarily.
Purple group: Items in MLB logos.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 12 2025, #170.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is common sports injuries. The four answers are break, sprain, strain and tear.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is billiards equipment. The four answers are balls, chalk, cue and table.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is NHL teams, familiarily. The four answers are Caps, Habs, Isles and Pens.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is items in MLB logos. The four answers are compass rose, crown, halo and maple leaf.
Quick tips for Connections: Sports Edition
#1: Don’t grab for the easiest group. For each word, think about other sports categories it might fit in – is this a word that can be used in football, or to describe scoring options?
#2: Second meanings are important. The puzzle loves to use last names and even college names that mean other things, to fool you into thinking they are words, not names.
#3: And the opposite is also true. Words like HURTS might seem like a regular word, but it’s also the last name of at least one pro athlete.
