Owner Patrick Cavanagh Set to Receive the 2025 Tom Fergusson Memorial Award Presented by the Norfolk Sports Club

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ECHL Norfolk Admirals

Owner Patrick Cavanagh Set to Receive the 2025 Tom Fergusson Memorial Award Presented by the Norfolk Sports Club

April 4, 2025 - ECHL (ECHL)
Norfolk Admirals News Release


Norfolk, VA, - Norfolk Admirals Professional Hockey is proud to announce that its owner, Patrick Cavanagh, has been selected to receive the 2025 Tom Fergusson Memorial Award presented by the Norfolk Sports Club. The award, which will be given at the Norfolk Sports Club's 78th Annual Jamboree on April 23rd, recognizes the efforts of an individual to increase the value of sports in the Hampton Roads Area.

Cavanagh, who first arrived in the Hampton Roads Area to play for the Norfolk Admirals, returned to the region after retiring from his professional hockey career with a mission to provide young athletes in the community with a structured pathway and access to the sport of hockey. In 1990, he launched the grassroots initiative Cavanagh Developmental Hockey Program (CDHP) in Hampton Roads, which grew to become an internationally recognized training program. In 2003, Cavanagh acquired Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex in Chesapeake-a world-class twin-sheet facility as a way to provide local access to top-tier amenities and invite the hockey world to experience the unique spirit and drive of the region. Over the past two decades, Chilled Ponds Ice Sports Complex and The Hampton Roads Whalers have established themselves with a highly respected tiered system from learn-to-play to house and travel hockey, to junior levels-all with a clear track to NCAA hockey and beyond, enriching generations of families and fostering a passion for the game that continues to grow.

In 2019, Patrick Cavanagh acquired the Norfolk Admirals, becoming an owner and completing a 29-year journey that solidified a rare achievement -- fully integrating a "cradle-to-pro" hockey development model, where athletes can begin at the grassroots level and advance through local programs all the way to professional hockey without ever leaving their home community. Under his leadership, the organization has risen within the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), achieving success in wins, playoff appearances, player development, attendance, and community connection.

Cavanagh is set to receive the 2025 Tom Fergusson Memorial Award at the Norfolk Sports Club's 78th Annual Jamboree on April 23rd at the Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Founded in 1944, the Norfolk Sports Club is one of the oldest sports clubs in the county. The Annual Jamboree is an evening of excellence in the sports community, giving several awards to local, state, and even national-level persons in the sporting field. The Tom Fergusson Memorial Award is given to the Metropolitan Person of the Year in Sports. It is named after one of the founders and second president of the Norfolk Sports Club, Tom Fergusson. Past award recipients include Sonny Allen, Bud Metheny, Chandler Harper, Blake Cullen, Marty Miller, Bobby Wilder, Dr. Wood Selig, and Taylor Heinicke.

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