MONTREAL -- Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said Wednesday that he will not name a president of hockey operations to bridge the gap between himself and the team's general manager Marc Bergevin.

Molson, the owner, president and chief executive officer of the Canadiens and the CH Group made the statement during a phone conference that ran longer than 90 minutes.

Saying that he is still young and healthy, Molson added that he is still proud to be the president and CEO of his company and that he has no intention of adding a level of governance to its organizational chart.

According to Molson, Bergevin is "one of the most experienced and respected general managers '' in the National Hockey League and he will continue to report directly to Molson.

Molson has on several occasions reiterated his confidence in the plan put in place by Bergevin and his hockey team before last season.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the cessation of hockey and entertainment activities, the company has been reviewing and restructuring its operations.

Senior director of media relations, Dominick Saillant, and his assistant, François Marchand, and many of their colleagues lost their job last week.

With the CH Group being a private company, Molson did not confirm figures regarding jobs cut in the organization, nor would he speak in detail about the company's financial statements.

However, Molson did say that his the organization is not emperilled.

In terms of hockey, Molson confirmed that the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard is now ready to welcome Canadiens players for phases 2 and 3 of the NHL's return to play. The Canadiens medical team is also working with government authorities to demonstrate that a 14-day quarantine for players entering the country would not be necessary with the proper protocols in place.

Molson said he is also very confident that the NHL will be able to move forward with its playoff tournament and that spectators - 25, 30 or 40 per cent of the capacity of an arena - will be able to watch the start of next season, which he predicts will begin by the end of autumn or the beginning of winter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2020.