NYT Connections Hints & Answers: Sports Edition #489
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- today's Connections: Sports Edition grid started with a funny message: SUPER BOWL ORR BUST.
- Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, and also our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and strands puzzles.
today’s Connections: Sports Edition grid started with a funny message: SUPER BOWL ORR BUST. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it,read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Table of Contents
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: Bummer!
Green group hint: Add three letters.
Blue group hint: Noted hockey players.
Purple group hint: Not the moon, but …
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Disappointment.
Green group: Sports,with “-ing.”
Blue group: Hall of Fame NHL defensemen.
Purple group: ____ star(s)
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
Connections Puzzle Analysis – January 25, 2026
Here’s an analysis of the Connections puzzle, based on the provided information, with verification as of January 25, 2026, 06:43:52.
Green Category: sports with ”-ing”
* Claim: The theme is sports with words ending in “-ing.” The answers are bowl,box,curl,and surf.
* Verification: This is accurate. These are all sports or activities that involve actions ending in “-ing”: bowling, boxing, curling, and surfing.
* Status: Verified.
Blue Category: Hall of Fame NHL Defensemen
* Claim: The theme is Hall of Fame NHL defensemen.The answers are Bourque, Coffey, Leetch, and Orr.
* Verification: This is accurate.
* Ray Bourque was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
* Paul Coffey was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004.
* Brian Leetch was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.
* Bobby Orr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.
* Status: Verified.
Purple Category: _ star(s)
* Claim: The theme is _ star(s).The answers are all, Chicago, Dallas, and super.
* Verification: This is accurate. These words can all precede “star(s)”: all-star, Chicago star, Dallas star, and superstar.
* Status: Verified.
Primary Entities:
* Sports: general concept encompassing bowling, boxing, curling, and surfing.
* Hockey Hall of Fame: The institution recognizing the achievements of hockey players.
* Stars (in a celebrity/sports context): Representing prominent individuals.
Relationships:
* The puzzle demonstrates connections across different domains – sports, hockey, and general terminology.
* The puzzle relies on both specific knowledge (NHL players) and broader understanding of language patterns (words that modify “star”).