MIAMI -- Great decision, allowing the NHL to ruin the Winter Olympics as we know it. Just brilliant.

The Winter Games were one of the few truly fun events left in sports. There was none of the spoiled-athlete syndrome so prevalent nowadays. It was just athletes competing for the love of the game, and the love of their country.

Those

Two-way player: Brett Hull says Team USA has developed an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude, but then he claims the team is ready to 'pull the plug' if New Jersey Devils holdout Bill Guerin isn't selected. (Reuters)

days are over.

The Summer Olympics have already been corrupted by Dream Teams and widespread commercialism, and now by allowing the hockey team to use pro players, the innocence of the Winter Olympics is also gone -- shattered by loudmouth players like Brett Hull and self-serving GMs like Lou Lamoriello.

In case you missed it, Hull, the Blues' brilliant right wing, says Team USA has developed an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude in regard to the upcoming Winter Games in Japan. Hull, in his infinite wisdom, claims the U.S. pucksters are ready to "pull the plug" if New Jersey Devils holdout Bill Guerin isn't selected to the team.

TOO BAD HULL NEVER bothered running this whole boycott thing by his Olympic teammates. Unless of course, you believe Hull, who likes the sound of his own voice more than any hockey player in recent memory.

"I told Brian (Leetch) I'm behind (Guerin)," he said. "Everybody I've talked to agrees with me. We're prepared to stick together as a group."

Maybe Hull should quit his act as Team USA spokesman and become a standup comic. Some of his USA teammates got quite a chuckle over Hull's words.

Leetch was particularly perplexed.

"Brett should let me know about these things," the Rangers' defenseman said after Tuesday's game against the Florida Panthers. "I must have misinterpreted what he said.

"THE FIRST I HEARD OF it was when I got to the rink before the game. I don't think it should ever come to that."

How could this be? Didn't Hull say everybody he talked to agreed to with him? Who is everybody? As usual, it appears Hull is talking to himself. As usual, his words are falling on deaf ears.

In fact, many of the Olympic players heard about this whole boycott idea from reporters, not Hull.

Told what Hull said, Panthers goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, with as perplexed a facial reaction as humanly possible, uttered one word: "WHAT?"

"This is the first I've heard of it," he said. "You're making me aware of the situation, so bear with me. I don't know what to say. I really don't."

UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS never been a problem for Hull, who will shoot his mouth off at any opportunity.

"Brett's Brett. It's good that he's standing up for Billy, but by the same token, I haven't spoken to him," Vanbiesbrouck said.

That's two U.S. Olympians who don't know what the hell Hull is talking about. For good measure, we submit to you a third.

Mike Richter, the goalie for the Rangers and Team USA, said, "I don't know a thing about it."

Told that it was Hull who applied the gas to this fire, Richter couldn't speak. He simply laughed.

But this is no laughing matter. No matter what happens from here on out, this sticky situation will leave a sour taste in Nagano.

IF GUERIN IS SELECTED as one of the final six players, we will be left with the impression that a spoiled athlete bullied the selection committee into it.

Even worse, if Guerin is left off the team, we are left with an even worse impression: Lamoriello, also the Devils' GM, didn't put Guerin on the team simply to stick it to him. You see, Lamoriello feels that Guerin has stuck it to his Devils by holding out for more money.

Far be it for Lamoriello not to let this personal vendetta slip into the Olympics.

Just as Hull should keep his trap shut and let Lamoriello do his job, which is to select the best players available, Lamoriello needs to make damn sure he separates his two jobs. Being the Devils' GM should have nothing to do with being the GM for the Olympic team.

Guerin is a fine power forward, one of the game's budding stars. There is no question he belongs on the team, especially when you consider how instrumental he was in Team USA's unlikely victory in the 1996 World Cup.

Lamoriello might think he has an easy way out, saying Guerin won't be in playing shape. But that's bull. Anaheim's Paul Kariya is also a holdout, and he'll play for Canada. Kariya has been skating on his own every day, and Guerin, if he has any pride, has probably been doing the same.

THE REAL PITY IN ALL this is that Hull couldn't just let everything play out before making an issue out of it. Lamoriello has another month or so before he has to decide on the final six, so where does Hull get off bullying him into an early decision?

Now when or if Guerin gets selected, Hull is the hero, taking a stand for his teammate. What hypocrisy. Hull isn't interested in his teammates. Just the accolades. The truly great athletes win championships. The 33-year-old Hull hasn't come within a whiff of Lord Stanley's Cup yet. That's because he's always put himself -- not to mention his gaudy stats -- ahead of the team.

And now, he is trying to make himself a national hero, trying to take a bold stand for his country. Just to show you how ridiculous all of this is, did you know Hull wasn't even born in the great US of A? He was born in Ontario and is only playing for the U.S. because he's an American citizen.

Actually, he's only playing because someone else made the absurd decision to let the NHL spoil the Olympics.

Ian Browne is a sportswriter on CBS SportsLine's staff.