BUFFALO, N.Y. — Do you remember where you were on April 26, 2011? That was the last time the Buffalo Sabres skated in a Stanley Cup postseason game.
It was a Game 7 in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Philadelphia. The Flyers scored the first four goals and were never really challenged that night, leaving the Sabres and their fans to look ahead to the next season.
And then the one after that. And the one after that. Then it simply snowballed into one of the longest pro sports postseason droughts in North America, alongside the the New York Jets, whose last playoff game happened on Jan. 23, 2011.
So, what was the world like back then, two months after Terry Pegula bought the franchise for $189 million? What was big in pop culture? What was big in other sports?
Now that the Sabres have been eliminated from playoff contention, again, let's go back in time to 2011 and take a look.
Gas prices
This might be a bit of a surprise, but the average price of gas climbed to $3.70 in early April back in 2011, compared to $3.45 right now, according to AAA.
Real estate
According to data from the Buffalo Niagara Association of Realtors, homes that sold in June of 2011 had a median sale price of $125,000. That number is now $220,000, according to the statistics released March 8.
Top movie
"Rio" once again topped the box office, drawing more than $1.9 million at the box office and upping its 12-day total to $86 million. It was followed by "Water for Elephants" and "Madea's Big Happy Family."
Top song
"S&M" by Rihanna, featuring Britney Spears, topped the Billboard Hot 100. Not far behind were "E.T." by Katy Perry featuring Kanye West, "Just Can't Get Enough" by the The Black Eyed Peas, "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele, and "On The Floor" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull.
Academy Awards
"The King's Speech" won four major awards, taking home best picture, director (Tom Hooper), actor (Colin Firth), and original screenplay (David Seidler). Best actress went to Natalie Portman for "Black Swan."
Grammy Awards
Adele won big, taking home six awards in the 2011 Grammy Awards (held in February 2012), including top album for "21," top record and song for "Rolling In The Deep," and best pop solo performance for "Someone Like You." Foo Fighters won five awards and Kanye West four.
Technology
Technology was a little different in 2011. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died, people still used BlackBerry phones, Google+ made its debut, and Spotify was on the rise in Europe.
Stanley Cup Final
Boston beat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to raise the cup. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was the series MVP.
NHL award winners
Corey Perry (50 goals, 48 assists) earned league MVP honors, Tim Thomas (35-11-9, 2.00 GAA) won the Vezina Trophy as top goalie, and some guy named Jeff Skinner (31 goals, 32 assists) was rookie of the year with the Carolina Hurricanes. Perhaps you've heard of him.
Sabres
Thomas Vanek led the team with 73 points (32 goals, 41 assists), followed by Drew Stafford and Jason Pominville, both with 52 points, with Tyler Ennis (49) and Tim Connolly (42) nearby. Obviously, Ryan Miller was a star, racking up 34 wins in 65 games started with a .916 save percentage, 2.59 goals-against average, and five shutouts. Jhonas Enroth was the backup. The Sabres finished third in the Northeast Division with 96 points, behind Boston and tied with Montreal.
Bills
The Bills went 4-12 under first-year head coach Chan Gailey. Ryan Fitzpatrick started 13 games, throwing for 3,000 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Fred Jackson had 927 yards on 222 carries, and Stevie Johnson had 82 catches for 1,073 yards. Paul Posluszny (151) and Donte Whitner (140) ranked 1-2 in tackles. Buffalo native Naaman Roosevelt was a rookie on that Bills team, finishing with nine receptions for 139 yards.
NFL
The Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV. Tom Brady was voted the AP's MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, while Troy Polamalu earned AP Defensive Player of the Year.
NBA
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in six games to win the NBA Final. Derrick Rose was the league MVP, averaging 25 points per game with the Chicago Bulls.
MLB
The reigning champs were the San Francisco Giants, who beat the Texas Rangers in five games. Josh Hamilton (Texas) and Joey Votto (Cincinnati) won the league MVPs.