Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring

Latest answer — August 07, 2026

22 Down

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Clue explained

Many NHL players grow a PLAYOFF BEARD during the postseason and keep it until their team is eliminated. The entry is the unspaced version of that phrase.

Clue type:
Example
A hockey player with a full beard during the postseason

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Friday, August 07, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Siamese's sleeping spot
  2. 7Rideshare alternative
  3. 10Hi-___ image
  4. 13Grandma, in Spanish
  5. 14Fuss
  6. 15Estadio Azteca shout
  7. 16Hold on to
  8. 17Texter's "I'm gonna be real . . ."
  9. 18Tree that sounds like a female sheep
  10. 19"It's all a ___" ("I'm having trouble remembering")
  11. 20He plays Viktor Hargreeves on "The Umbrella Academy"
  12. 23Nosy?
  13. 25Place for wine or root veggies
  14. 26Chocolate bean
  15. 29Tech co. with an 8-bar logo
  16. 31Sunrises
  17. 32Activity for reducing cognitive fatigue
  18. 35"Even then . . ."
  19. 36Dojo leader
  20. 37___ seco (dry rub in Puerto Rican cooking)
  21. 39Enjoyed a Crunchwrap Supreme
  22. 40Flub
  23. 42Where to find remote workers?
  24. 45Western watering hole
  25. 48Company with a spokesduck
  26. 50Superfan
  27. 52What Burr wins in "Hamilton"
  28. 54"Documentary Now!" actor Hader
  29. 55Some Alaskan natives
  30. 57Doctor ___ Cortex (Crash Bandicoot villain)
  31. 58This, in Spanish
  32. 59Grammy-nominated Sabrina Carpenter single
  33. 61Clarifying words
  34. 63"From what I gather . . ."
  35. 64Peaceful
  36. 65Sweet ___ ("It's Always Sunny" nickname)
  37. 66Word with "bath" or "wrestle"
  38. 67Restaurateur and humanitarian Jose

Down

  1. 1Bread or rice
  2. 2Cain's brother
  3. 3Ballet garment
  4. 4Egg-based steak topping
  5. 5___5 ("Explain Like I'm Five" acronym)
  6. 6Great ___ (dogs that are actually from Germany)
  7. 7Sleeveless top
  8. 8Committee type
  9. 9Tossed
  10. 10Sovereign's pronoun
  11. 11Refined
  12. 12Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' homes
  13. 17"Hit me up whenever"
  14. 21Hideout
  15. 22Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring
  16. 24Top-shelf
  17. 26"The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" network
  18. 27Zone
  19. 28"I just ___ even right now"
  20. 30Angry
  21. 33"Candy" actress Jessica
  22. 34Boxing endings, for short
  23. 38Drag brunch accessory
  24. 41Pole
  25. 43Red carpet VIP
  26. 44Cracker often paired with soup
  27. 46"O Canada," for Canada
  28. 47Once named
  29. 49Shuts
  30. 50Shade of gray
  31. 51What adding "-ed" might change
  32. 53Many o'
  33. 55Surrounded by
  34. 56"Avengers: Doomsday" actor Liu
  35. 60Acid
  36. 62Layer in a coop

The answer to “Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring” in the USA Today crossword is PLAYOFFBEARD — a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 7, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 22-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring” answer

PLAYOFFBEARD (12 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is PLAYOFFBEARD.

When else has “Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring” appeared?

USA Today reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

August 7, 2026 (most recent) → PLAYOFFBEARD. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring”?

The answer is PLAYOFFBEARD, a 12-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 7, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring”?

12 letters: PLAYOFFBEARD.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on August 7, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 22-Down.

Can “Look sported by many an NHL player in late spring” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's USA Today answers?

The full grid for August 7, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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