To be fair, the hockey scene in Kevin Smiths microbudget debut doesnt just show up out of nowhere: were told its coming from the very first scene, in which Brian OHallarans beleaguered protagonist Dante complains he cant work that day because hes playing hockey that afternoon. Still, once it does arrive, its fair to say its not a scene that serves a great deal of function, other than to momentarily move the action out of the dingy convenience store and into the light of day. The sequence does seem to rather contradict the overall flow of the movie, however. Were told repeatedly how Dante is stuck in his dead-end job in the store because he lacks the nerve to attempt otherwise, yet this scene not only sees him close the store in the middle of the day but also propose playing hockey on the roof of the store, whilst also seeing him butt heads with an anonymous customer (played by producer Scott Mosier) - hardly the actions of one lacking a backbone. Still, given that Clerks is specifically structured to present a series of the most unlikely events to occur during a standard, boring work day, a brief rooftop game of hockey seems to fit well enough.