You often see them on the bench for every game. They play a vital role in the success of any hockey team. But you almost never hear about them, and most fans don’t even know their names.

Meet Cliff Halstead and J.C. Ihrig, the Avalanche’s new, co-head equipment managers. For Halstead, who started out with the Avs as a stick boy in 1995, it’s a promotion from his previous title of assistant equipment manager. For Ihrig, it’s a new city, new team and also a promotion from his previous job as an assistant equipment manager with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Halstead and Ihrig take over for Mark Miller, who retired after many years as the Avs’ head equipment manager. Here is Halstead’s bio on the Avalanche website (though they have yet to update his new title) and more on the background of Ihrig, who spent the last couple of years with the Penguins after many years as a sales representative for CCM.

For as long as I’ve covered the Avs, Halstead (in the top left of the picture above) has been right there, in various roles. So it’s great to see him get this promotion. Being an equipment manager is one heck of a busy job. Those guys are always working, and they have to be ready at the drop of a hat to attend to a player’s equipment issue during a game, most of the time the issue being with skates.

They have to get to arenas well in advance of the players, making sure all the uniform gear is laid out, skates properly sharpened, filling orders for new equipment, etc. etc. etc.

Let’s give them both hip-hip-hoorays on their promotions.