A quick wiki informs me that I've been assuming wrong. I've tended to think about NE as being primarily MA, with VT, ME, NH, and RI tacked on for good measure. It's always been sort of endearing that those four other (some might say "lesser" - I'm not really qualified to comment) states liked to latch onto the 'Sox, Pats, Celtics, and Bruins. CT has always basically meant UConn to me (other than being that fairly bland state I've driven through a couple times), which meant that it was a state associated with occasional brilliance in men's basketball, and complete domination in women's basketball, and not much else.
Hmmm... for some strange reason it seems that my impression of most places in the US is dependent on their prowess at various sports. Weird, that.