Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It's been 15 long years since the Buffalo Sabres last played a playoff game. Let's put into perspective just how long ago that was, though.
Buffalo's last playoff series was played in April of 2011. Fan favorites like Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, and Ryan Miller were still in their prime. The then-HSBC Arena had only experienced one name change up to that point. Meanwhile, Sabres fans were still getting to know an oil tycoon named Terry Pegula who bought the team in February of 2011.
Most of the players that would help bring Buffalo out of the basement more than a decade later weren't even old enough to drive. Tage Thompson was 13. Rasmus Dahlin was 11. Zach Benson was just a month away from turning 6.
Buffalo itself looked different. What is now Seneca One Tower was then One HSBC Center. HarborCenter hadn't been built yet. Byron Brown was still in his second term as Mayor.
In pop culture, "ET" by Katy Perry was the #1 song in the country. "Rio" starring Anne Hathaway was tops at the box office.
Instagram was only 6 months old. If you had the app, you were probably using it on an iPhone 4.
This might even be the first time many people watch a Sabres playoff game in HD. According to Nielsen data from November of 2010, 44% of homes in the US didn't have an HD set or HD service. That same set of Nielsen data said more than 80% of what people were watching 15 years ago was in standard definition.
So when the puck drops for Game 1 Sunday, take a moment to look back at how long it took to get here.
We're taking a trip back to 2011 to see just how much things have changed since the Sabres were in the playoffs.
We're taking a trip back to 2011 to see just how much things have changed since the Sabres were in the playoffs.
