The Los Angeles Kings Hockey Club entered the National Hockey League in 1967 and has made just one appearance in the Stanley Cup finals. Led by the great Wayne Gretzky, the team reached the championship in 1993 but lost to the Montreal Canadiens. The franchise plays host at the Staples Center, which it shares with the title-laden Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz and Los Angeles developer Edward Roski have owned the Kings since 1995. The partners also own the Staples Center and a minority stake in the Lakers.

Burnley Football Club might have been a side-switcher at first, but has been true blue (or, rather, true claret and blue) ever since. Originally formed as a rugby club, the team in 1882 switched sports to become the Burnley Football Club and moved to its Turf Moor stadium grounds shortly thereafter. Burnley FC is nicknamed the Clarets, and also known as the Claret and Blue. It currently plays football (soccer) in the English Football League Championship (formerly known as Division 1). Turf Moor has a capacity of about 22,600. Burnley FC sells a variety of team merchandise through its official Web site store.

Stratosphere Corporation company's Stratosphere Tower, Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas is the tallest free-standing observation tower in the US at 1,149 ft. It features a revolving restaurant, observation decks, and a roller coaster that wraps around the top. More grounded is the firm's hotel, with some 2,400 rooms, an 80,000-sq.-ft. casino, a Broadway showroom, and a retail center with shops and fast-food outlets. Located slightly off the beaten path, the hotel offers a nightly evening shuttle service to the center of the Las Vegas Strip. Whitehall Street Real Estate Fund, an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group , owns the Stratosphere.

The National Basketball Association is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America, with 30 teams representing 28 US markets and one in Canada. It oversees the rules of the game and officiating, markets its teams and players, and regulates franchise ownership. The NBA also licenses broadcasting rights and collects revenue from corporate sponsorships. In addition, it operates the WNBA, a 12-team women's league; the NBA Development League for up-and-coming players; and NBA TV, a cable TV channel offering news, original programming, and live game broadcasts. The NBA was founded as the Basketball Association of America in 1946.

Looking for red meat in the Carolinas? Claremont Restaurant Group (CSG) has just the place. The company operates about 25 casual dining restaurants under the Sagebrush Steakhouse banner in four states, mostly in North Carolina. The restaurants serve steak, seafood, and chicken entrees along with the usual assortment of starters and side dishes. Other CSG brands include Prime Sirloin Family Steakhouse, a buffet concept with locations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; and Western Steer Family Steakhouse. Industry veteran and CEO Jim Peterson owns the company. CSG entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010.

Minnesota Wild Hockey Club owns and operates the Minnesota Wild professional hockey franchise. The team joined the National Hockey League in the expansion of 2000 (along with the Columbus Blue Jackets), filling the void left after the Minnesota North Stars moved to Texas in 1993 to become the Dallas Stars. An investment group led by Robert Naegele Jr. helped bring hockey back to the Twin Cities. Former Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold acquired control of the team from Naegele in 2008.

Florida Gaming Corporation engages in the ownership and operation of two jai-alai frontons and inter-track pari-mutuel wagering facilities in Florida. Florida Gaming Corp. operations primarily comprise card rooms, live jai-alai performances, inter-track pari-mutuel wagering on jai-alai, horse and dog racing, and the sale of food and alcoholic beverages. The Fort Pierce location provides inter-track wagering on interstate simulcasting of horse and dog racing, and jai-alai from various tracks and frontons in the United States. The jai-alai games are played live and simulcast from the Miami facility via satellite to 62 pari-mutuel wagering locations in Florida, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as in Mexico, Central America, and Austria.

Grévin & Cie operates the Parc Astérix (also the firm's former name) amusement park just north of Paris. Based on Astérix, a legendary French comic, the park offers a variety of attractions including a scale-model park France Miniature, wax museum Grévin, St-Malo's Grand Aquarium, and magic entertainment venue Bagatelle. In addition to its flagship location, Grévin & Cie has expanded aggressively and now owns about 20 parks in France, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK. Ski resort operator Compagnie des Alpes owns the company.

Barbecue made this Dave famous. Famous Dave's of America operates and franchises about 180 barbecue restaurants in some 35 states, primarily Minnesota, Illinois, California, and Wisconsin. The eateries serve St. Louis-style ribs, Georgia chopped pork, and Texas brisket. Most of the restaurants are designed to resemble 1930s-era roadhouse shacks complete with antique items and Americana touches. Other units try to recreate the feeling of a hunting lodge or a Chicago-style blues club featuring live music. The company also distributes barbecue sauce, seasonings, and prepared meats through grocery stores and other retail outlets. Famous Dave's owns and operates about 50 of its restaurants and franchises the rest.

Maybe for this company the restaurant business is like a box of chocolates. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurants operates and franchises about 30 themed eateries under the name Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market. Inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump, the casual dining restaurants offer a menu of seafood appetizers, entrees, and sandwiches. The chain has about 20 restaurants in 10 states along with another dozen international locations; most Bubba Gump units are found at tourist destinations such as the Mall of America and the Universal Orlando theme park. Former CEO Scott Barnett created the chain after striking a licensing deal with Paramount Pictures in 1996.

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