ANN ARBOR, MICH.—In the no-tell environment of which Maple Leaf goalie gets the start, there were tells all over the place.

That was Jonathan Bernier who was brought to the dais for a media Q&A after Tuesday afternoon’s open-air practice here, for instance.

Asked point-blank if he’d drawn the assignment for Wednesday’s Winter Classic against the Red Wings, Bernier grinned mischievously and nodded towards Randy Carlyle, who was just exiting the room following his stand-up for reporters. “We’ll wait until he leaves.”

The question had already been posed to Toronto’s coach and, nope, he wasn’t revealing. “You’ve got a better chance of seeing the big guy.”

Actually, pretty sure I already have, back in the day. But let’s not go there.

There was, as well, James Reimer steepling his fingers and offering a resigned shrug in the locker room. “Don’t you guys know?” he asked a clutch of hovering scriveners. “I thought everybody knew.”

Well, we do now.

Bernier himself let that kitty-gritty out of the bag. He will be in the nets for the NHL showcase at The Big House. No surprise there.

“I found out before practice. Obviously, it’s great that he gave me the nod. And being part of this whole history, it’s pretty amazing.”

So, that wait-and-see jig was up.

And so, it would appear, is the season-long cat-and-mouse game of No. 1 versus No. 1A, as Carlyle has insisted on framing his goaltending tandem.

This will be Bernier’s third consecutive start since replacing Reimer between the pipes on Dec. 21, after the latter had let in three goals on 12 shots in a game against the Red Wings that Toronto would ultimately lose 5-4 in a shootout. That’s 11 regulation periods, two overtimes and counting. For Reimer, it was his fourth hook of the season and the glare this preternaturally serene, endlessly good-natured young man directed at his bench boss that night spoke volumes — though he subsequently said it meant nothing in particular.

Carlyle gets huffy and exasperated whenever a reporter queries his goaltending inclination, claiming it’s a media-manufactured issue and not a dilemma. That was perhaps even true through the first 35 games on the 2013-14 calendar. Both contenders for the crown that Carlyle claimed was never being weighed have had ample opportunity to make their own case. It had always been suggested that no No. 1 would likely emerge before the 40-game mark.

On Dec. 31, we’re at Game No. 42, exactly halfway through the schedule. Bernier, the putative go-to starter GM Dave Nonis acquired from L.A. over the summer, has made and settled his case. He did so most especially over his past five games, posting a save percentage of .949. He did so, most eloquently, by all but standing on his head during a second-period fusillade of shots by the Rangers in another shootout loss just before the Christmas break. He did so in his first-star effort against Carolina on Sunday. And he did so by getting the call for the Winter Classic marquee event — not just because of the festive hype surrounding the game but, more significantly, because Toronto and Detroit are knotted at 45 points apiece, tied for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Two points on the table at Michigan Stadium loom hugely.

Carlyle clearly feels more assured with Bernier on crease duty. The 25-year-old — five months younger than Reimer — comes without baggage. The job is now his to lose. Projecting into the spring, should the Leafs make the post-season, that makes Bernier the Leaf playoff starter too.

Coach’s protestations notwithstanding, and for all that the friendly rivals maintain there’s zero undercurrent of conflict to their relationship, it really does matter, that No. 1 designation. Toronto hasn’t had a true ace in the paint since Ed Belfour left town.

Unlike Reimer, who wrested that job from Jonas Gustavsson — now Detroit’s backup, and arguably more reliable this year than Jimmy Howard — Bernier has never enjoyed that distinction in his NHL career, often described as the best non-starting starter in the league whilst a King behind Jonathan Quick.

He’s had a taste of it now, preparing for his fifth game in a row, eye black on his cheeks to cut the glare on the outdoor rink, sporting newly obtained brown vintage pads, and skating more than usual just to keep the blood circulating in cold temperatures with a biting wind blowing in his face.

“I never had that experience, obviously, at the NHL level,” Bernier acknowledged, of five games in a row. “But pretty much my whole career I was playing a lot. Just to get back in that groove . . . ”

Feelin’ groovy, in other words.

“I just want to feel good about myself, feel healthy and mentally be fresh. That’s probably the biggest adjustment for me. When you don’t play a lot, you really don’t need to take care of your body as much. Lately, I’ve felt that groove. I need to do my routine and feel ready for every game.”

Statistically speaking, there hasn’t been much separating Reimer and Bernier: A .924 save percentage for Reimer, .930 for Bernier; 2.83 goals-against average versus 2.42. But Bernier, with four more wins on his resumé this season, has been whittling down the numbers that count while racking up a huge advantage in minutes played, in large part because of those four Reimer yanks.

Platooning is a nice socialist idea, the way hockey might be run if the NDP were in charge. In real life, it’s a system usually deployed by teams saddled with two not very good goalies.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Toronto was unconventional that way. Goaltending has been the Leafs’ saving grace on many a night, in the push-pull spectacle of Bernier and Reimer.

It may never have been a cold war between these fist-tapping goalies. But a winner has been tacitly declared.

MORE:The Star’s hockey page

Read more about: