Järvenpää played 114 games for the Winnipeg Jets of the NHL and is a member of the Finnish ice hockey Hall of Fame.

After wearing Jokerit colours in 1992–93, he moved to fellow Liiga team Espoo Blues, where he spent the last two years of his playing career.

Järvenpää represented Finland's national team on several occasions, including the 1992 Olympic Games and the World Championships in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991 and 1992 (silver medal).

Järvenpää took over head coaching duties at HDD Olimpija Ljubljana, a Slovenian member of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL), in 2009 and remained in that job until 2012.

[2] In early January 2016, he was named head coach of Alba Volán Székesfehérvár[3] and parted ways with the EBEL team at the end of the 2015–16 season.