Alexander Ovechkin already plays with a ton of spark, and his smile is one of the most contagious in hockey. So fans can only imagine what he would be like if there were anger instead of adventure fuelling his game.

Fans might soon find out.

Ovechkin spoke to reporters in Washington on Wednesday and discussed the two-game suspension that he was given by the league for his knee-to-knee hit on Carolina's Tim Gleason.

"It is what is again, so they suspend me and there is nothing I can say about it. I am disappointed," said Ovechkin. The Russian star was asked if the ban would change his playing style, to which he responded, "No, maybe it just get me more angry," and he later added, "I'm not going to change."

Head coach Bruce Boudreau also weighed in, following up on comments that he made on Tuesday in which he called Ovechkin's playing style, in part, "pretty reckless".

"I don't want him to change the way he plays at all, either. When I said reckless, I was using the term in fear of him getting hurt, not him hurting anyone else," Boudreau said.

"He's got to be him. I don't want him to change. That's what makes him one of the three things – one of the best players in the world, one of the best personalities in sports and the reason you pay to watch for guys like Alex," added Boudreau.

Ovechkin's aggressive game and scoring touch have made him one of hockey's biggest attractions, but at the same time, the risk of him getting hurt frequently puts his teammates on edge. Ovechkin has already missed six games this season with a shoulder injury.

"When you play close to the edge things kind of just happen," forward Mike Knuble told reporters. "A lot of times things happen quickly, and I guess as a teammate your concern is with him that he's putting himself in compromising positions. You don't want him to get hurt and don't want him to get suspended, but at the same time what makes him such a great player is he plays at such an intense level."

As for predicting a date for Ovechkin's return, Boudreau suggested that his star doesn't want to miss any more time than he has to, which means that he might return after his two-game ban on Monday in Tampa Bay.

Ovechkin has 18 goals and 30 points in 21 games this season. He has scored at least 50 goals in three of his four NHL campaigns to date.

TORONTO -- The NHL is officially taking the 2010 entry draft to Tinseltown.

Los Angeles will host the event for the first time when the league convenes at the Staples Center on June 25-26.

Reports surfaced a month ago that Los Angeles would be chosen as the host city and an NHL spokesman confirmed Friday that a deal was done.

The league's draft has rotated between different cities for more than 20 years. It was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal last June.

The NHL will again hold its award show in Las Vegas just before the draft. Los Angeles is a short trip away for those attending both events.

Plymouth Whalers centre Tyler Seguin was rated as the top OHL prospect in preliminary rankings released by NHL Central Scouting last month. Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires, long considered the No. 1 prospect for the 2010 draft, was ranked second.