I've read a bunch of books recently, so will give some thoughts on them.
Art Ross: The Hockey Legend Who Built the Bruins by Eric Zweig:
Eric Zweig shows his ability as one of the leading hockey historians here. Very meticulous, he has completed an excellent biography of Ross. He contradicts long-held facts about Ross, things like his birth date and family situation, going to the primary sources like a true historian. Despite this the book does not read like an academic work, but is lively and interesting, and moves at a quick pace despite the many things that occurred throughout Ross' life. It is particularly useful as it doesn't just focus on his time in hockey, but looks at Art Ross the individual, something that is equally important but often neglected in biographies of sports players.
Old Scores, New Goals: The Story of the Ottawa Senators by Joan Finnigan:
This is not so much a story of the original Ottawa Senators, but more a series of interviews and anecdotes from players and individuals from that era. Written by the daughter of Frank Finnigan, Joan Finnigan was a notable historian of the Ottawa Valley, and this book is in a similar manner. It recounts how hockey was in the early 20th century for players and followers of the sport, with a series of interviews from players (including her father) and fans. It doesn't focus too much on the Senators themselves, but more the atmosphere of the era, and it should be regarded as such. That said, the final chapter is a great introspective into the formation of the modern Senators, as Finnigan recounts the business details that went into the expansion process leading up to the 1992 start of the new Senators. For that alone it is a worthwhile read, as is the stories of players crossing the frozen Ottawa river in the dead of winter to play games in Ottawa or Hull.
We Want Fish Sticks: The Bizarre and Infamous Rebranding of the New York Islanders by Nicholas Hershon:
This is not a conventional hockey book. Despite the cover and title, it is a more academic look at a business aspect of the sport, namely the New York Islanders re-branding attempt in the mid-1990s. Hirshon looks at why it happened, how it was implemented, and why it failed, while only looking at game results to emphasize his points. For those interested in a comprehensive look at the business side of hockey, and sports in general, this is a great book, and as a re-worked PhD dissertation it is thoroughly researched, with Hirshon using contemporary media stories and interviews with most of the key figures to defend his argument. If you are looking for stories about the Islanders of this era, it is not quite that type of book, though he is unabashedly critical of Mike Milbury, so there is some nods to that style
The Ovechkin Project: A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Hockey's Most Dangerous Player by Damien Cox and Gare Joyce (I also posted this in the Worst Hockey Book thread, so apologies):
Going in I should have known that as a book written by Cox it would be bad (see my comments about his ghost-written Brodeur autobiography above), but Joyce isn't too bad so maybe it would balance out. It did not, frankly was terrible. To start with, it was not done with the consent of Ovechkin, so his perspective is completely absent, and all references to him are second-hand. That doesn't necessarily make a bad book, but this one was.
First, there are several obvious errors throughout the book, ones that any seasoned hockey fan would notice, and one would expect an experienced journalist and book publisher would catch. Things like a "1988 Canada Cup", referring to a "Rich Stadium" for the 2007 Winter Classic (it had been Ralph Wilson Stadium for about a decade by that point), noting Lester Patrick as the Rangers coach in 1940 (Frank Boucher had taken over), and saying Crosby and Stamkos shared the 2010 Art Ross Trophy for goal scoring (they shared the Rocket Richard; the Art Ross of course being for points, which Henrik Sedin won that year). These are beyond embarrassing for two people who are literally paid to write about hockey, and while some may think it's pedantic to note, I would think people here would understand.
Next, the book has an unusual focus: it covers Ovechkin's rookie season over parts of two pages, and the first three seasons of his career in less than five. However it spends ten pages detailing a meaningless game between the Capitals and Penguins in 2010, and then exact detail on the 2010 first round playoff series between Washington and Montreal. One would be forgiven for not knowing Ovechkin scored 65 goals one season, the first time in a decade someone had scored that many, or that he won the Art Ross Trophy the same year, as they are quickly passed over. Instead pages are spent critiquing the coaching techniques of Viacheslav Bykov, who led the Russians at the 2010 Winter Olympics. On multiple occasions the writers outright suggest broadcaster Pierre Maguire knew more about what was going on than Bykov did, and while Bykov should be criticized for his efforts, Maguire is not exactly a good comparable.
There is also considerable emphasis placed on Crosby. This of course is to be expected in writing about Ovechkin, however the way the book fawns over Crosby, seeing no fault in him, while Ovechkin is perceived to be full of errors, is grating, and at times it feels like the book is written about Crosby and not Ovechkin (Joyce of course wrote a book on Crosby a couple years before this, and had a second one published in 2019 extolling the virtues of Crosby as the best player in NHL history).
Lastly there is an undue attack on Ovechkin the person, and perceived slights towards the media. Again, pages are spent on some insignificant time he brushed off Ken Campbell, and undue weight is spent on Ovechkin signing with an ad agency, and then worrying about the agency's investment in Ovechkin. It comes across as a couple writers angry that Ovechkin wouldn't talk to them, so they want to showcase him as someone unfriendly with the media, which is definitely not something that one could say about Ovechkin, especially in the early years of his NHL career.
Hopefully there will come a time when a real biography of Ovechkin is written. But this is not it, and should not be considered something anyone should read with any hopes of learning anything useful about the individual.
When I purchased the book last year, I was expecting yet another compendium of stories laced with Canadian regrets & inferiority complexes. So I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Smith's approach to weaving history & honor & sportsmanship & profiles of players and games into a very readable book. I was especially looking forward to reviewing his ending list of reference materials to guide my future hockey book purchasing decisions. Now all I've got left is the book jacket (left at home to prevent tearing in transport), and a goal to find a paperback copy so I can finish the other ≈60% of the book. Maybe a hockey fan/Delta passenger or YHZ airplane clean-up crew member will send me their review. 
