Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
If you’re following the Stanley Cup finals, then today’s Connections: Sports Edition might be a dream puzzle for you. (I still miss my Minnesota North Stars, moved to Dallas before we fans ever got to celebrate Lord Stanley’s Cup.) 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: Rink roles.
Green group hint: Great White North groups.
Blue group hint: Turn that red light on.
Purple group hint: Recent hockey champions.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Hockey positions.
Green group: Canadian NHL teams.
Blue group: Types of hockey goals.
Purple group: Last four Stanley Cup winners.
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 June 4 2025, #254.
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is hockey positions. The four answers are center, defenseman, goaltender and winger.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Canadian NHL teams. The four answers are Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is types of hockey goals. The four answers are empty net, even strength, power play and short-handed.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is last four Stanley Cup winners. The four answers are Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay and Vegas.
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.
