Avalanche players surprise equipment manager with the gift of a lifetime.

As fans of the sport of hockey we often like to boast that we have the very best athletes in the world, both on and off of the playing field, and on Sunday we were once again reminded of that fact thanks to the players on the Colorado Avalanche roster.

The Avalanche players decided to do something extraordinary on Sunday, something they most certainly did not have to do, when they surprised their equipment manager with what may truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity. You see every day the players have their needs taken care of by members of the Avalanche equipment staff and among that staff is Don White, a popular figure among the players.

White also just so happens to be a diehard fan of the Cincinnati Bengals and on Sunday the Bengals were one of the teams participating in the National Football League's Superbowl, their championship game. Tickets to the Superbowl are notoriously expensive but in spite of the overwhelming costs associated with that the players decide that White should get to go see his favorite team play for a shot at winning the Superbowl.

Not only did they pay for the tickets to the game, which likely set them back a pretty penny, but they also paid for White's airfare and his hotel as well so he could enjoy the full experience without having to worry about a thing. Unfortunately White's Bengals would lose the game to the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 23 - 20, but nonetheless White may have otherwise never had the chance to even see his team play in a game that big during his lifetime.

We know that White did in fact make it to the game however thanks to a rather hilarious photo published by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson on his Instagram. In the photo we can see that White got pretty cooked by the sun in Los Angeles while he was watching the game, something that was made even worse by the fact that he neglected to wear any sunscreen.

A wonderful gesture from a wonderful group of guys.