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After annoying his colleagues in the newsroom for weeks by cheering for the Ottawa Senators and talking trash about the Oilers, politics reporter Stuart Thomson went out to meet some Oilers fans Sunday.

So maybe I don’t hate the Oilers as much as I thought.

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Lately I’ve been on a lonely island in the Journal newsroom, watching everyone jump on the Oilers bandwagon while I cheered for my beloved Ottawa Senators.

Yes, the Senators. And don’t look so surprised, there are literally dozens of us out there.

It’s a tough spot, though, when you’re a fan of another NHL team in a hockey-mad city like Edmonton. The natural temptation is to dig in. That’s why Flames fans in Edmonton are more obnoxious than the ones based in Calgary — it’s a survival instinct and a defence mechanism against eroding loyalty to your team.

My dislike of the Oilers evolved from that.

My time on the newspaper’s night desk meant that every Oilers overtime game ruined my night because it busted our deadlines and made my night more stressful.