Does anyone remember the TV commercials where the camera take you inside an professional locker room, and there’s a big laundry hamper on wheels in the middle of the room? Players walk by throwing their dirty jerseys in the hamper, and then after a few seconds, a fan secretly climbs out with his favorite player’s jersey. The TV ad finishes by telling you there’s an easier way to get your favorite team’s authentic gear, which is to purchase it through the league’s on-line merchandising store. 

Anyway, I can’t help by think about that commercial every time I’m in a locker room, and it happened to me again today going into the Red Wings’ locker room. For some reason, I think a fan is going to pop out with a jersey and run out of the locker room.

OK, stupid thoughts aside, the Wings didn’t look like a team this morning that’s still thinking about Saturday’s 8-0 loss to Nashville. They were chatting it up in the locker room about the latest NHL news to come across the ticker. Some were talking about the New York Rangers’ decision to claim Sean Avery  off waivers, while goalie Chris Osgood was interested to hear about Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom re-signing with the Wild. NHL players seem to be just as caught up as fans when it comes to news around the league, especially near the trade deadline.

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are excited to get Marian Hossa back in the lineup tonight after missing two games with a stiff neck. They’re also eager to see defenseman Jonathan Ericsson play against the Blues. You’ll never guess this but Ericsson was a NINTH-ROUND selection of the Red Wings in 2002. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound defenseman started blossoming last season and has become one of the organization’s top prospects.

“He’s 6-5, he moves the puck, he skates good, he’s brave,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “Did I mention he’s 6-5?”

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Some other tidbits from the Red Wings’ locker room:

I spoke with Henrik Zetterberg about the Blues’ young players (T.J. Oshie, David Perron and Patrik Berglund) and here’s what Zetterberg had to say:

“They have been real good for St. Louis,” Zetterberg said. “For sure that was the right call to have them on the team. Also, they’re letting them playing. They’re giving them the chance to become the players they are becoming. Instead of giving them just five or six minutes a game, they’ve really been giving them power-play time. They’re good players. If you give good players opportunity and confidence, they will become even better players.”

Also, with Blues prospect Lars Eller playing in the Swedish Elite League this season, I asked Zetterberg what playing two seasons in the SEL did to prepare him for the NHL. Granted, there’s a big difference in that Eller was a first-round pick in 2007 and Zetterberg was a seventh-round pick, but I thought Zetterberg’s answer might help Blues fans who are frustrated by Eller’s delay to get here.

“I was in a different situation, drafted in the seventh round, but they kept me back in there (in the SEL),” Zetterberg said. “I got a chance to play a lot more and be a bigger part of the team and also play with the (Swedish) national team. I played probably two World Championships and an Olympics before I got over here. So it kind of helped me to prepare myself for physical play and getting used to play more.”

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The next time somebody asks you, ‘Which four people in history would you like to go to dinner with?” forget about Ben Franklin and Albert Einstein. . . . Wings enforcer Aaron Downey has got to be on that list.

How about this exchange:

Detroit reporter: What number did you wear when you played in St. Louis?”

Downey: “No. 47 . . . just like a 747 . . . rolling down the runway.”

Reporter: “How are you doing?”

Downey: “Just got to keep on keeping on. You got your heart, your soul, your limbs . . . wherever you go, that’s where you are.”

Reporter: “Was it a surprise to get called up to the Red Wings?”

Downey: “I was like right on, this will be awesome. I always kept that avenue open, that time and space, and I always tried to manifest getting back up here again. But at the same time, enjoy yourself where you are, and that’s all you can do in life.”

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Does anyone remember the game in St. Louis during the 2005-06 season when Downey was playing for the Blues and Cam Janssen was playing for the New Jersey Devils. Downey wanted to go with Janssen and in fact threw his gloves off. Janssen skated away, so Downey had to pick his stick back up and play the rest of the shift without gloves.

“He wouldn’t fight, so I said (screw) it,” Downey said. “I’m not going to pick up my gloves. I’m just going to skate. I just picked up my stick and actually started handling the puck and made a few plays. That whole shift, I had no gloves on.”

Reporter: Do you play better with no gloves on?

Downey: “I probably do.”

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One more observation from the Red Wings’ locker room. Every team in the NHL has the other team’s lineup written on an dry-eraser board. Well, the Red Wings had the Blues’ lines correct but they didn’t have the spelling of Janssen’s name right.

“JANSSENS” it said on the board.

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Chris Osgood will be in net for the Red Wings tonight.

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Sometimes when I write a “Morning Skate” blog, I have no idea which item will garner the most attention. It looks like a lot of readers are interested in the news that Erik Johnson is up to 240 pounds. So I went back in my notebook and find this quote from Johnson this morning.

“I’m packing on the pounds in a good way,” Johnson said. “That’s what being away from the rink will do to you . . . not being on the ice and just working out your upper-day a lot. Once I get on the ice (regularly), I fully expect to shed 10-12 pounds and be back to 230. Obviously I have some fat I can burn off . . . but it has nothing to do with eating poorly. It’s just working out everyday and getting back on track.”

JR