Connections Sports Edition Sept 24 Hints & Answers #366

Connections Sports Edition Sept 24 Hints & Answers #366

Overview: Solving a Symbol-Only Puzzle

The NYT Connections Sports Edition puzzle for September 24, 2025 (#366) brings fans a fresh challenge with its symbol-only grid format. Unlike word-based puzzles, today’s clues rely on icons, emblems, and event symbols. That means you’ll need not just puzzle-solving skills but also a solid grasp of sports teams, leagues, and traditions.

In today’s puzzle, the four groups spanned hockey, women’s basketball, college football bowl games, and a clever wordplay set built around “____ ball.” Each group tested different areas of sports knowledge: from recognizing NHL logos to recalling iconic bowl games, and finally spotting everyday “ball” words.

If you’re stuck, this guide takes you step by step — starting with hints and moving to the full answers — so you can solve the puzzle without frustration.

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Yellow Group: NHL Teams

Answer: Ducks, Maple Leafs, Sharks, Stars

The yellow group brings together four NHL franchises represented by iconic team symbols:

• Anaheim Ducks 🦆 – Known for their dramatic “Mighty Ducks” history and Stanley Cup win in 2007.
• Toronto Maple Leafs 🍁 – One of the league’s Original Six, with passionate fans and deep Canadian pride.
• San Jose Sharks 🦈 – Famous for their teal logo and strong West Coast following.
• Dallas Stars ⭐ – 1999 Stanley Cup champions, representing Texas hockey tradition.

Each emblem in today’s puzzle required solvers to connect logos and mascots with hockey’s most recognizable teams. Learn more about NHL franchises here.

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Green Group: WNBA Teams

Answer: Liberty, Storm, Sun, Wings

The green group spotlighted WNBA teams, reflecting the league’s growth and cultural impact:

• New York Liberty 🗽 – One of the original eight WNBA teams, playing home games at Barclays Center.
• Seattle Storm 🌩 – Four-time WNBA champions, featuring legends like Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart.
• Connecticut Sun ☀️ – Known for consistent playoff appearances and strong New England fan support.
• Dallas Wings 🪽 – Emerging powerhouse, home to star scorer Arike Ogunbowale.

Symbols representing liberty, weather, celestial bodies, and wings were all hints. For context, you can explore the WNBA official site.

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Blue Group: College Football Bowls

Answer: Gator, Orange, Peach, Rose

The blue group tapped into college football’s storied bowl games:

• Gator Bowl 🐊 – Held in Jacksonville, Florida, since 1946.
• Orange Bowl 🍊 – A New Year’s Six game in Miami, central to national title history.
• Peach Bowl 🍑 – Played in Atlanta, part of the College Football Playoff rotation.
• Rose Bowl 🌹 – “The Granddaddy of Them All,” hosted in Pasadena since 1902.

Each flower, fruit, or animal symbol pointed to a long-running bowl game. Fans familiar with New Year’s traditions likely caught this group quickly. Check out the history of college bowls.

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Purple Group: ____ Ball Wordplay

Answer: Basket, Foot, Hand, Paint

Finally, the purple group brought a classic wordplay twist:

• Basketball 🏀
• Football 🏈
• Handball 🤾
• Paintball 🎨🔫

The challenge here was interpreting icons into compound words. Sports fans nailed basket and foot, but “paintball” added extra trickiness to the set.

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Progressive Hints for Each Group

• First Hint: Think about team logos in hockey and basketball.
• Second Hint: Recall annual college traditions in football.
• Third Hint: Don’t just focus on teams — some answers are common “ball” words.
• Final Hint: The puzzle mixes pro leagues, college, and casual sports.

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Strategies for Symbol-Based Puzzles

Solving a symbol-only puzzle requires a different mindset:

1. Start with what’s obvious – NHL and WNBA logos are easier to identify.
2. Cross-check sports seasons – Bowls happen in winter, hinting at football.
3. Look for wordplay – Not every symbol is tied to a league; some hint at compound phrases.
4. Group by similarity – Animals with NHL, weather with WNBA, fruits/flowers with bowls.

Pro tip: keep a mental or written sports dictionary handy when tackling NYT Sports puzzles.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the answer groups for Connections Sports Edition #366?
Yellow: NHL teams (Ducks, Maple Leafs, Sharks, Stars). Green: WNBA teams (Liberty, Storm, Sun, Wings). Blue: College bowl games (Gator, Orange, Peach, Rose). Purple: ____ ball (basket, foot, hand, paint).

How do symbol-only puzzles work in Connections?
Icons represent teams, events, or objects. Solvers must decode the symbols into words before forming groups.

Which NHL teams appear in the puzzle?
Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, and Dallas Stars.

What are examples of WNBA team symbols?
Symbols stood for New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Connecticut Sun, and Dallas Wings.

How is “paint ball” used in the purple group?
Paintball completes the “____ ball” category alongside basketball, football, and handball.

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Conclusion

The NYT Connections Sports Edition puzzle (#366, September 24, 2025) gave us a balanced mix of pro hockey, women’s basketball, college football traditions, and clever “____ ball” wordplay.

From the Ducks and Maple Leafs to the Rose and Orange Bowls, today’s grid highlighted the variety of symbols that can stump — or delight — solvers. Symbol-only puzzles require flexibility, but that’s what makes them rewarding.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s edition, where NYT Games will no doubt bring another set of sports categories to test your skills.