Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas supports Chick-fil-A's stance on same-sex marriage

(CBS/AP) Boston Bruins goalkeeper Tim Thomas has elected not to play hockey next year, which gives him more time to express his views on Facebook.

The 2011 Stanley Cup MVP, who has stirred controversy for voicing his conservative views on Facebook and snubbing a White House invitation, has now weighed in on the debate surrounding Chick-fil-A's stanceagainst same-sex marriage.

"I stand with Chick-fil-A," Thomas wrote on Facebook. The goaltender then referenced an interview Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy did with the Baptist Press. Cathy said the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family."

Thomas, a two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender, is known for his outspoken views off the ice. After declining an invitation to join his Stanley Cup winning teammates at the White House in January, he wrote on Facebook: "I believe the federal government has grown out of control, threatening the rights, liberties, and property of the people."

The Bruins goalie isn't the only high-profile NHL player to enter the gay marriage debate. Last year, then-New York Ranger Sean Avery filmed a series of public service announcements for the New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign.

While Boston's goaltender may be a Chick-fil-A fan, the city's mayor would rather banish the fast-food chain to the penalty box.

In a sharply-worded letter last week to Cathy, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino wrote: "There is no place for discrimination on Boston's Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it."