Ice

For decades, those with high cholesterol have been given a list of don'ts when it comes to their diet: Don't eat cholesterol-rich eggs; don't eat butter; don't eat red meat or regular ice cream. Well, now researchers have identified a list of do's for the diet that may work to lower cholesterol levels better than avoiding those don'ts. In a study published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that eating cholesterol-lowering foods like nuts, soy protein, and certain fiber-rich items result in bigger drops in "bad" LDL cholesterol than avoiding...

After months of wondering when any Hendrick Motorsports car would win again, NASCAR's powerhouse program is on a major roll heading into the Coca-Cola 600. Five-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson broke a 16-race victory drought this month at Darlington Raceway for Hendrick Motorsports' 200th win, then won the All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Throw in a Sprint Showdown victory by Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and a win in the Pit Crew Challenge by Johnson's No. 48 team and it's a non-stop party for owner Rick Hendrick.

If you have any doubt the New Jersey Devils are frustrating the New York Rangers in their Eastern Conference finals, just look at Game 4. Forget that Zach Parise scored two goals and set up another in the Devils' 4-1 win that evened the series at 2-all. Look at the extracurricular stuff in the game Monday night. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur got sucker-punched by former teammate Mike Rupp, who might now be facing a suspension. New Jersey teammates Patrik Elias, Adam Henrique and Steve Bernier were the victims of cheap shots, and the Rangers spent most of the final 20 minutes...

David Hasselhoff, who achieved rerun immortality of sorts for his roles in such TV shows as "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch," will be cast in the demanding role of himself in a new TV ad from Cumberland Farms, the Framingham-based chain of convenience stores said. "Developed by Boston advertising agency Full Contact, the campaign builds on the two ‘surprises' of Cumberland Farms' Farmhouse Blend – that consumers can get a great cup of coffee at a convenience store, and that the coffee is 99 cents for any size, any time," the chain said in a press release.

It certainly can. It's not the fact that ice is cold that's the problem, said Dr. Thomas Kilgore, a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. It's that ice cubes, like nuts, are so hard they can chip or crack teeth, especially teeth already weakened by large, old fillings. "Nine times out of 10, you can chew ice and it won't have any effect," he said. But teeth can be structurally weakened by fillings, which makes them more susceptible to fracture from biting hard substances.

By Michael Vega, Globe Staff WILMINGTON --- Greetings from Ristuccia Arena where the Bruins returned to the ice for the first time since Saturday's convincing 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Also back on the ice for the first time since he breaking his nose after taking a Steve Staios puck off his face a week ago was Daniel Paille, who participated in his first full practice, donning a full cage. Andrew Ference, who was a scratch Saturday, was not on the ice. The Bruins, who climbed above .500 for the first time season, will attempt to extend their winning streak to six...

Opening night of "Disney on Ice" at the TD Garden was a special thrill for 6-year-old Erin DeSouza, who was chosen by producers to be part of the show. The little girl from South Yarmouth, who has been in and out Children's Hospital Boston since birth, got a chance to meet some of her favorite characters, including Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. . . . While in town for this weekend's 100th anniversary of the Skating Club of Boston, skaters Franklin Nelson, Hugh Graham, Brian Boitano, Paul George, and Chuck Foster dined at UpStairs on the Square.

Oceanographer Chris Linder had so much fun taking photographs on his first expedition to study the turbulent waters around Greenland that it changed the course of his career. Instead of conducting his own research, he now documents the work of other scientists. His "Science on Ice: Four Polar Expeditions" (University of Chicago), with essays by science writers, is a terrific introduction to the thrills and challenges of doing research in the Arctic and Antarctic. The beauty is stunning, the cold formidable.

After watching injured teammate Darcy Tucker taken off the ice on a backboard, Milan Hejduk and Wojtek Wolski scored goals in quick succession and the Colorado Avalanche went on to beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-4, last night in Denver. Tucker was checked into the boards by Carolina forward Tuomo Ruutu as he tried to play the puck in the Hurricanes’ end at 14:34 of the second period. Tucker’s face hit the glass hard and he fell to the ice on his back unconscious. He lay motionless for several minutes as Avalanche doctors and trainers attended to him, bringing a hush to both benches...

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger skated Friday for the first time since offseason back surgery. Pronger missed the majority of the postseason and had surgery to remove a herniated disc from his spinal cord. He was limited to 50 regular-season games this year, scoring just four goals. He also played in just three playoff games, and was a minus-3. Pronger was bothered by wrist and hand injuries during last year's postseason. Pronger says he'll take his return slowly. He says he "felt pretty good" on the ice but wants to see how his body recovers.

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent Photo courtesy of Ryan Conroy Volante Farms Just in time for rising temperatures, Volante Farms in Needham will hold the grand opening of its new ice cream stand on Friday. The family-owned farm has been a fixture in Needham for the last 50 years. The opening of the ice cream stand completes a total renovation of the farm stand — the old open-air barn has been replaced with a closed barn that will be open all year round.

The organizing committee for the 2014 Sochi Olympics says testing of the ice at one of the skating arenas has begun. The committee says 2006 Olympic ice dancing gold medalist Tatiana Navka led the testing at the arena named Iceberg. About 700 skaters took part overall. The arena is to host the figure skating and short track speedskating events. Its first test event will be the figure-skating Grand Prix Final in December.

Max Pacioretty of the Montreal Canadiens opened the scoring and the United States rolled to a 5-0 victory over defending champion Finland at the ice hockey world championships on Sunday. Kyle Palmieri of the Anaheim Ducks added a goal in the second period, followed two minutes later by a power play goal by Justin Faulk. Chris Butler of the Calgary Flames and Bobby Ryan closed out the scoring for the U.S team. The Finns also lost to Canada in the round-robin tournament.

A 14-year-old boy admitted fatally shooting his father, a federal immigration agent, with his service weapon after arguing about school grades, a prosecutor told The Associated Press on Friday. Prosecutors will seek to try the teen as an adult in the killing of Myron Chisem, 42, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. The boy, whose name wasn't released because he's a minor, faces one count of murder with an allegation that he used a firearm to shoot his father. The teen is expected to appear Monday in Juvenile Court.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was shot to death Wednesday by a shot fired through the window of his Southern California home, authorities said. Los Angeles County sheriff's officials told City News Service that the man was found shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday in his home in Carson and declared dead at the scene. Authorities say it appears the agent's son called 911 but it's unclear whether he saw the shooting. They did not release a motive yet. The agent's name hasn't been released but the Department of Homeland Security said he...

Hood, the regional dairy brand headquartered in Lynnfield, is unveiling new ice cream flavors, including Peanut Butter Cup and Down East Double Fudge Brownie, as the weather heats up and ice cream season looms. Besides Red Sox Novelties and Red Sox Ice Cream, Hood markets two ice cream lines --- Hood Classic and New England Creamery. Both lines are sold in major grocery stores across the region. One of the new flavors in the New England Creamery line will be a "limited edition" flavor that is available only for a short time; it is White Gold, a butterscotch...

MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. -- If you're looking for a sport that will sweep you off your feet, consider broomball. Like hockey, it's played on ice, and the positions and rules are essentially the same. But in broomball, players don't use skates. Instead of a puck, players use a ball about 5 inches in diameter made of hard rubber or synthetic leather. Fights are virtually nonexistent. And there's a fair amount of falling. "It's just because you're on ice, but you don't have skates so your equilibrium is different," said Becky Reitmeyer, a broomball novice who helped organize a league for the Pittsburgh Sports...

New Hampshire's unique hallmark of spring — ice-out on Lake Winnipesaukee — has been declared, the earliest on record. Ice-out signals when the M.S. Mount Washington cruise ship can leave its Meredith winter dock and travel the state's largest lake unimpeded by ice floes. Before Friday's announcement, the earliest recorded Ice-Out was in 2010, when it was called on March 24. Before that, the earliest ice-out recorded was on March 29, 1921. The latest ice-out was called May 12, 1887.

The word is out. Like a silent code understood by dedicated ice cream fans everywhere, the long, persistent, yet patient lines outside DownRiver Ice Cream, located on Route 133 at the Essex-Ipswich line, transmit a strong but silent message to those driving or bicycling by. S-t-o-p h . . .e . . .r . . . e. Opened in May 2009, the homemade ice cream store slid open its two screened windows for business for the fourth season beginning March...