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Yes, you saw both DUNKIN and DONUT in today's Connections: Sports Edition. But, of course, those words weren't referring to the bakery chain. That would be far too easy. 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
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: Hockey division.
Green group hint: Sporting goods.
Blue group hint: Some are birds.
Purple group hint: Sounds like a star hoops player.
Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: A Western Conference NHL player.
Green group: Baseball equipment.
Blue group: Items in NFL logos.
Purple group: Homophones of Basketball Hall of Famers.
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 17, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNETThe yellow words in today's Connections
The theme is a Western Conference NHL player. The four answers are Blackhawk, Blue, Oiler and Shark.
The green words in today's Connections
The theme is baseball equipment. The four answers are base, bat, donut and tee.
The blue words in today's Connections
The theme is items in NFL logos. The four answers are bolt, fleur-de-lis, horseshoe and swords.
The purple words in today's Connections
The theme is homophones of basketball Hall-of-Famers. The four answers are Berry, Dunkin, Morning and Weighed.
