Step onto the rink with today’s Strands puzzle built around the theme “On the Ice,” inspired by the fast-paced world of hockey.
Learn the meaning of the spangram “Hockey Rink” and explore all the theme words, from skates and sticks to scoreboard and Zamboni.
Enjoy a crisp, action-packed puzzle this winter day, blending sports excitement with smart, satisfying wordplay.
Today’s New York Times Strands puzzle challenges solvers with an exciting theme around one of the coolest sports: ice hockey. Appropriately titled ‘On the Ice,’ this edition combines the thrills of hockey and wordplay for enthusiasts of either or both.
It features seven theme words, including a spangram, a word or phrase that uses every letter in the puzzle grid at least once. Today’s theme words evoke key elements related to hockey, giving solvers a satisfying connection with the sport.
Today’s puzzle, ‘On the Ice,’ had an official hint that turned solvers toward terms generally related to ice hockey. To help along, it offered an extra clue: ‘Winning a Stanley Cup would be impossible without them.’ Clearly, what this said was that the theme words would involve things basic to hockey: equipment, players’ actions, and the game environment.
For those who required an additional nudge, the puzzle also revealed the first two letters of each theme word. Arranged from left to right and top to bottom according to initial appearance in the grid, these pairs were: HO, GO, ZA, SC, PU, SK, and ST.
Today’s spangram ‘HOCKEY RINK’ is the highlight because it fits the ice hockey theme, using every letter on the grid. This phrase can represent the surface where the game unfolds and, in a sense, be thought of as central to the theme.
Along with the spangram, the remaining six theme words fill out the hockey vocabulary used in the puzzle:
GOALS: The points that players try to score
ZAMBONI: The machine used to resurface the ice
SCOREBOARD: Shows the score and time of the game
PUCK: The small disc players chase and shoot
SKATES: The footwear that allows players to glide on ice
STICKS: The sticks are an essential piece of equipment in the game, primarily used to gain control and shoot the puck.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle combines the mental exercise of word solving with the thrill of hockey’s vocabulary. The game itself, the tools, and the actions that define the sport are all part of this puzzle, which takes the solver to the frigid letter arena.
Whether you are a casual puzzler or a hardcore hockey fan, the process of uncovering all seven theme words and spotting the spangram together is at least rewarding if not more enjoyable. Next time you get stuck on a Strands puzzle, remember to take your time because very often the clues are not only in the words but also in how the puzzle relates to something bigger. Today’s focus is on that crisp and exciting world of ice hockey.